Watch: Celtics blitz Mavericks to end first quarter of Game 5
Jayson Tatum.
With less than two minutes to go in the first quarter, the Mavericks cut the Celtics' lead to a point. Then Boston's defense closed out the quarter strong.
Boston took away any of the Mavericks' momentum by closing the first quarter on a 9-0 run, thanks to some serious ball pressure and woeful shooting from Maxi Kleber. After Sam Hauser came off the bench to hit a three-pointer, the Celtics got steals that led to easy buckets on the other end.
Kleber also missed two wide-open threes in that stretch. He's now 1-for-6 off the bench, contributing to the Mavericks' team-wide struggles from behind the arc. They've had some success early in Game 5 by targeting the hobbled Kristaps Porzingis on defense, but Kleber hasn't been able to make the Celtics defense pay.
Boston has been crushing Dallas at the end of quarters all NBA Finals. They finished Monday's first quarter leading 28-18, after a period that was nearly even for 10 minutes. But the Finals often comes down to who is better in the waning moments, and the points in the first quarter count the same as those later in the game.
Dallas lost its concentration and the ball at the end of the first. It's giving them an uphill battle to stay alive in these Finals.
Want more articles like this? Follow Yardbarker on MSN to see more of our exclusive NBA content.
More must-reads:
Trending slideshow: The best current international NBA players (Provided by Yardbarker)