The Boston Celtics drew first blood in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Thanks to the most convincing first quarter that has ever occurred in a Finals game, the Celtics were able to defend their home court against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night en route to a 107-89 win.

Things were back-and-forth during the early portion of the first quarter. It was less like the two teams were trying to feel one another out, and more like they were two teams that had plenty of time to rest up and were just playing excellent basketball for the opening stretch of the game.

And then, Kristaps Porzingis checked in. Boston held a 12-11 lead at the time that he checked into the game, and while Dallas was briefly able to take a 1-point lead after that, Porzingis keyed an absolutely ferocious end to the first quarter. The Celtics ended the frame on a 23-5 run, powered largely by the 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting and three blocks that Porzingis gave them in seven minutes of work.

As such, the Mavs found themselves dealing with an avalanche, as Boston played with the rhythm that led to them being a 64-win team in the regular season. And with TD Garden absolutely on fire, the Celtics made their way to the bench at the end of the period with a 37-20 lead, the largest lead any team has had at the end of the first quarter in NBA Finals history.

Boston continued to take it to Dallas in the second, with their lead ballooning to as many as 29 points — in fact, after a Jayson Tatum three with 4:11 to go before the half, the Celtics found themselves doubling up the Mavs with a 58-29 lead.

Dallas was able to calm down a little after that and ended the half with a 13-5 run. But Boston had a comfortable advantage, 63-42, even if the score had somewhat improved heading into the locker room.

Jaylen Brown scored 13 points in the first half, while Porzingis scored up to 18 points off the bench. The Mavs were only 3-for-13 from outside the three-point arc, while the Celtics shot 11-for-17 as a team. Even though Kyrie Irving scored six points on 3-of-9 shooting in the first half, Luka Doncic scored seventeen points in the first half, the only other Dallas player to score in double figures.

In the third quarter, the Mavs started to come to life. Slowly but surely, the once insurmountable Celtics lead got smaller and smaller, as Doncic continued to look like one of the best players in the world and Irving began heating up, all while Boston — as it is prone to do — looked sluggish.

The lead eventually got down to single-digits, as Doncic drilled a three with under four and a half minutes to go in the third to get it eight.

But Boston was able to settle down on both ends of the floor, and just as it looked like the game was hanging in the balance, they were able to rip off an 14-0 run that put themselves back firmly in control. And while Daniel Gafford broke up that run by hitting a pair of free throws to close the quarter, the Celtics sat pretty with a 86-66 lead after three.

The run that Dallas needed early on in the fourth just never came, as Boston was able to cut off any attempt at building up a head of steam before it started — the Mavs never got within 17 points in the final 12 minutes. And with just under five minutes remaining, Jason Kidd decided that there was no path to a win, as he got his starters on the floor and emptied out his bench.

Every member of Boston’s starting five, along with Porzingis, hit double-figure scoring on the night, with Brown’s 22 points, six rebounds, three blocks, three steals, and two assists leading the way. Porzingis gave them 20 points, six rebounds, and three blocks off the bench, while Tatum gave them a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The story of the game, however, was the Celtic defense, which got Dallas to shoot 41.7 percent from the field, 25.9 percent from three, and forced 11 turnovers while only allowing nine assists — Doncic, arguably the best passer in the NBA, only had one assist on the evening, marking the first time he was held to one assist in a playoff game.

Doncic was otherwise very good, going for 30 points and 10 rebounds, but Boston was able to limit Irving to 12 points, while P.J. Washington had 14 points without making a single attempt from three. Jaden Hardy was able to give them 13 points off the bench, but many of those came late with the game decided.

Game 2 between the Celtics and the Mavs will take place on Sunday night in Boston, and is scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m