Jaylen Brown starred as the Boston Celtics put on a dominant display to beat the Dallas Mavericks 107-89 in game one of the NBA Finals.
The 27-year-old top scored with 22 points, while five of his team-mates also recorded double figures for the Celtics who are aiming to win a record 18th title.
But the Celtics’ defensive display was just as good, helping them to a 29-point lead in the first half at the TD Garden in Massachusetts.
Mavericks star Luka Doncic, who scored 30 points and 10 rebounds, helped his side to close the deficit to eight points in the third quarter but the home side pulled away again in the fourth quarter.
“When they cut it to eight, that’s when the game started,” said Brown.
“I liked how our team responded. We stayed composed. Offensively, we got to our spacing and was able to push that lead back out and make some plays.”