Luka Doncic Made NBA Finals History In Dallas Mavericks Game 1 Loss to Boston Celtics

Despite the loss, Doncic continues to put his name in the NBA record books

Austin Veazey | Jun 7, 2024

Jun 6, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts in the third quarter against the Boston Celtics during game one of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports / David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

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Luka Doncic continues to solidify himself in NBA History early on in his career. In Dallas's Game 1 loss in the NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics, Doncic scored 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, becoming just the second player ever to have a 30-point double-double in his NBA Finals debut game, joining the legendary Tim Duncan, who accomplished the feat in 1999.

Luka Doncic is the first player since Tim Duncan (1999) to have a 30-point double-double in their NBA Finals debut ✨ pic.twitter.com/xSCZXb55tJ
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 7, 2024

Doncic would likely trade the accomplishment for a Game 1 win, though he isn't panicking about one loss early in the series. The bigger worry was him only having one assist, as Boston did a great job of forcing the Mavs to play 1-on-1 basketball and closing off the lob attempts at the rim. Dallas only had nine assists as a team.

Game 1 followed a similar trend to the Game 1s of the Mavericks' first two series against the Clippers and Thunder, getting blown out in all of those games. Dallas has been able to respond well in Game 2s and will need a big game Sunday night from everyone around Doncic to head to Dallas tied. Luka Doncic led all scorers in Game 1 but the next closest Maverick had 13 points and it was Jaden Hardy, who scored a lot of garbage time buckets.

Game 2 from Boston will be Sunday at 7 p.m. CST.

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Published Jun 7, 2024

AUSTIN VEAZEY

Austin Veazey joined NoleGameday as the Lead Basketball Writer in 2019, while contributing as a football writer, and started as editor for MavericksGameday in 2024. Veazey was a Florida State Men’s Basketball Manager from 2016-2019. Follow Austin on Twitter at @EasyVeazeyNG