The Boston Celtics have a 1-0 lead in the NBA Finals.

On Thursday, the Celtics, the East’s No. 1 seed, defeated the West’s fifth-seeded Dallas Mavericks 107-89 thanks to a more balanced attack.

Boston led 37-20 to begin the first quarter after going on a 23-5 run at the end. Kristaps Porzingis returned from injury and instantly scored 11 points on 4 of 5 shooting, including two 3-pointers. Doncic scored seven points, but the combination of smothering defense and scorching shooting was too much to handle early on.

These factors eventually became the game’s theme.

With a 17-point lead, the Celtics set a record for the greatest first-quarter point differential in NBA Finals Game 1.

The Celtics later led by as many as 29, but Doncic’s solo run at the end of the second quarter kept the score at 63-42. Doncic led the Mavericks with 17 points at halftime, but no other player, including Kyrie Irving, had more than six.

Porzingis led all scorers with 18 points on 7 of 9 shooting, while Jaylen Brown added 13 points on 5 of 7 shooting. By halftime, Boston had made 11 3-pointers, while Dallas had only three.

Dallas’ 22-9 run in the third quarter cut the lead to 72-64 and put pressure on Boston, but the Celtics replied quickly with 14 unanswered points to shift the momentum and effectively secure the game.

Dallas outscored Boston 23-21 in the fourth quarter to finish the game.

All of Boston’s starters scored in double digits. Porzingis cooled off in the second half but finished with 20 points on 8 of 11 shooting, six rebounds, and three blocks.

Brown led the starting with 22 points on 7-for-12 shooting, six rebounds, three steals, three blocks, and two assists. Jayson Tatum added 16 points on 6 of 16 shooting, while Derrick White had 15, Jrue Holiday 12 and Al Horford 10.

Joe Mazzulla’s eight-man rotation worked almost well, with backup guard Payton Pritchard being the one blemish, going 0 for 7 from the field, including five missed 3-pointers.

Doncic led Dallas with 30 points on 12 of 26 shooting, despite hobbling throughout due to knee soreness. Doncic only had one assist and four turnovers, but the Celtics did an excellent job of limiting him beyond that.

P.J. Washington was Dallas’ second top scorer, with 14 points, while Irving had a horrible game, going 6 of 19 overall and missing all five 3-pointers for 12 points.

The Dallas bench likewise had no influence, with the best scorer only managing two points until garbage time in the fourth quarter, when Jaden Hardy scored 13.