After being out for 10 games, Kristaps Porzingis came back and scored 20 points off the bench to help the Boston Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks 107–89 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night.

Because of a right calf strain, Porzingis hadn’t played since Game 4 of Boston’s first-round series against the Miami Heat. He didn’t seem to mind the long break, though, as he shot 8 of 13 from the field and grabbed six boards and three blocks.

Dallas got back into the game after falling behind by as many as 29 points late in the first half. Luka Doncic led a big third-quarter run.

The star guard scored 10 points during the Mavericks’ 22-9 run to start the quarter. With 4:28 left, his 3-pointer cut Dallas’s lead to 72-64.

.

As a strong response, the Celtics scored the next 14 points, giving them a 22-point lead.

After Daniel Gafford made two free throws at the end of the third, the Mavericks were within 20 points, but they were still behind by at least 17 points for the whole fourth.

The second game will take place in Boston on Sunday.

Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday in Boston.

Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 22 points, six rebounds, three steals, and three blocks. Jayson Tatum contributed 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Derrick White added 15 points.

Jaylen Brown scored 22 points, grabbed six rebounds, stole three balls, and blocked three shots to lead the Celtics. Derrick White scored 15 points and Jayson Tatum scored 16 points and grabbed 11 boards.

Dallas lost by a score of 47.6 percent to 41.7 percent overall, but Doncic scored 30 points and grabbed 10 boards. Jaden Hardy scored 13, P.J. Washington scored 14, and Kyrie Irving, who was booed the whole night, scored 12.

Even though Porzingis didn’t get the ball first, he set the tone right away when he checked in with 7:17 left in the first quarter.

The big man tormented his old team by scoring 11 points and stopping two shots in the first quarter, which gave the Celtics a 37–20 lead after 12 minutes. In the history of the Finals, no team has ever built a bigger lead in the first quarter of Game 1.

Boston kept putting up points. With 4:11 left in the second quarter, they went on a 14-2 run to go ahead 58-29. Doncic, on the other hand, scored nine points in the last four minutes of the first half, which helped the Mavericks get within 63-42 at halftime