Celtics see off Lakers in opener

Pierce survived an injury scare to inspire the Celtics

Boston drew first blood in the NBA finals with a 98-88 home victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kevin Garnett led the Celtics with 24 points, but it was Paul Pierce who made the headlines after an injury scare.

Pierce was carried off the court in the third quarter after colliding with a team-mate and hurting his right knee.

But he shook off the knock and returned a few minutes later, adding 19 points to set up the win after scoring just three in the opening half of the game.

"I was scared when I saw him down on the floor," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "Obviously it was great to see him come back - it lifted us."

Meeting in the finals for the 11th time, the Celtics and the Lakers had not played for the title since 1987, making this year's finals a huge draw.

They played a lot more physical than we did, and that's something we have to adjust to Lakers star Kobe Bryant

Garnett provided the early fireworks, igniting the crowd with a thundering dunk and scoring eight points as Boston took a 23-21 first-quarter lead.

But the Lakers - the NBA's top-rated attacking team - began to flex their muscles in the second, led by an 11-point effort from Derek Fisher.

They took a 51-46 advantage into the intermission, despite a modest contribution from star guard Kobe Bryant.

The reignint NBA MVP had just eight points on 3-of-10 shooting in the first half but made his mark in the second to finish with a team-high 24 points.

Boston's title hopes looked to take a hit when Pierce went down, but he made a spectacular return, nailing back-to-back three-pointers to help the Celtics take a 75-71 lead.

They carried the momentum into the final quarter, surging ahead 90-82 with three minutes to play before putting the shackles on the Lakers offence.

Bryant said: "I think our rhythm wasn't there, but we still played well enough to almost steal the game. Some balls bounced their way.

"They scrapped and they clawed their way to this victory. They played a lot more physical than we did, and that's something we have to adjust to."

The Celtics can seize control of the best-of-seven series when they host game two on Sunday before the finals shift to the west coast.