Dominican veteran Al Horford led the Boston Celtics to the Golden State Warriors, overcoming their 12-point lead late in the third quarter to win 120–108 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
The 36-year-old scored 26 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, to turn the Celtics into their 18th record-breaking title against an opponent and drop him in his stronghold for the first time since the end of the season in the Chase. center.” regular season.
The Dominican wiped out the Warriors’ basket with eight unanswered fourth-quarter decisive points to impose their dominance on the Celtics after they were 12 points behind at the start of the final quarter.
Horford’s performance is considered the best honor for this player, who made the most playoff appearances but failed to reach the final before this season.
Marcus Smart contributed to the winner of two consecutive late trips with a total of 18 points, while Jaylen Brown added 24, including straight 10 points in the last quarter and 7 rebounds, while Derek White 21 points and Jason Tatum shone with 13 assists and 12 points.
The Celtics played over 10 points in a game twice, with little attention to Warriors’ explosive star Stephen Curry in the first quarter, scoring 21 points, in addition to a record of 6 successful 3-pointers out of 8 in the first 12 minutes , finishing the match with 36 points.
However, the Celtics, despite the lack of experience in their ranks, as no player had played in the NBA Finals until Game 1 on Thursday, refused to give in or collapse under pressure.
Otherwise, the visiting team showed a strong character and held out in the last quarter to score 40 points against 16 from the hosts.
The Warriors have a chance to tie in Game 2 at home in San Francisco on Sunday.
Source: El Iktisad