By Hendy Désilien

Luka Doncic delivered an impressive performance in tonight’s game, but it wasn’t enough to give the Mavericks a victory. Despite his 30 points and 10 rebounds, Doncic recorded only one assist, a first in the 2024 playoffs. His teammate Kyrie Irving was overshadowed, contributing only 12 points and failing to effectively support Doncic. The Mavericks were generally disappointing, scoring only 89 points, while the Celtics, excellent both in attack and defense, won brilliantly.

La Domination des Celtics

The return of Kristaps Porzingis was a breath of fresh air for Boston. He scored 20 points and grabbed 6 rebounds, making a solid contribution. Jaylen Brown, the Celtics’ strong man, also shone with 22 points, 2 assists and 6 rebounds. The Boston team showed exceptional collective play, allowing them to win with a score of 107-89.

The Challenges Ahead

The next match, which will still be played at home for the Celtics on Sunday, promises to be crucial for the Mavericks. To hope to return to the series, the Mavericks will have to significantly improve their overall performance and find solutions to get around the Celtics defense. For their part, the Celtics will have to maintain their collective play and their intensity to win the second game and take a serious option on qualification.

Luka Doncic showed once again why he is one of the most talented players in the NBA, but his individual brilliance wasn’t enough to make up for the Mavericks’ lackluster overall performance. The Celtics, with a well-oiled collective and key contributions from their players, demonstrated their superiority. Sunday’s match will be decisive for the rest of the series, and the Mavericks will have to perform much better if they want to continue to hope.