The NBA Finals are finally here and some of the league’s biggest stars are vying to take home the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the first time.
Luka Dončić and Jayson Tatum are the favorites to take home the NBA Finals MVP Award, Kyrie Irving is playing in his fourth Finals and Kristaps Porzingis is back after missing the Celtics’ last 10 playoff games with a calf injury.
For a full breakdown of how the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics got here, check out Yahoo Sports’ Dan Devine’s full analysis and predictions for the series.
Speaking of our Yahoo Sports experts, Senior NBA reporters Jake Fischer, Vincent Goodwill and Ben Rohrbach will have live analysis and updates from Game 1 in Boston throughout the night.
Stay with Yahoo Sports for live coverage of Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals and instant analysis as the Mavericks and Celtics open their quest for the title.
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Starting Lineups for tonight’s Game 1
Celtics starters for Game 1 of the NBA Finals:
Al Horford Jayson Tatum Jaylen Brown Derrick White Jrue Holiday
Mavericks starters:
Daniel Gafford P.J. Washington Derrick Jones Jr. Kyrie Irving Luka Doncic
Kristaps Porzingis will be coming off the bench tonight for Boston. He started all 57 games he played in during the regular season and each of the four games he played in the first round against Miami
Players to warm up in Walton shooting shirts
In addition to honoring him with pins handed out in TD Garden, the players will warm up in WALTON shirts before Game 1 of the NBA Finals, commissioner Adam Silver announced before the game.
Adam Silver says the players will warm up in this Bill Walton shirt tonight and that Walton’s family is here for Game 1 of the NBA Finals pic.twitter.com/MKKBKHlZN8
Porzingis back in the lineup for the Celtics for Game 1
The Celtics get a major offensive weapon back with the return of Kristaps Porzingis to the lineup after he missed all of the past two rounds with a calf injury. He did play in the first round against the Miami Heat, averaging just over 12 points per game, but he was a major contributor to the Celtics attack in the regular season as part of Boston’s trio of 20-point scorers along with All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Luka Dončić nursing injuries heading into Game 1
It was never in doubt that he’d play, but Luka Dončić does enter his first NBA Finals a little banged up. Per the Mavs, he’s dealing with a right knee sprain and some left ankle soreness.
Luka Dončić (right knee sprain, left ankle soreness) and Olivier-Maxence Prosper (left ankle sprain) will be AVAILABLE for Game 1 against the Celtics.
The bumps and bruises didn’t seem to bother him too much in the Western Conference Finals — a series he was named the MVP of after five brilliant performances.
Celtics to hand out Walton pins
While the Boston Celtics are celebrating being back in the NBA Finals, the team — and NBA family — are still remembering Hall of Famer Bill Walton, who died after a battle with cancer late last month. To honor him tonight, the Celtics are passing out Walton pins with a tie-dye pattern to memorialize the legend who helped the Celtics to an NBA championship in 1986.
The 2024 NBA Finals are here
The stars are arriving at TD Garden ahead of Game 1 of the Finals.
Michele Paul is the news writer for Stated Podcast. She has written about everything from arts and construction to automotive and travel, as well as real estate and fashion. Michele also writes about her hobbies: cooking, watching movies with her husband and hanging out with her family.
