The Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors was one of the most anticipated matchups of the early NBA season. Not only is it a rematch of the 2022 NBA Finals between two teams with great records, but a reunion of Steve Kerr and Jayson Tatum. After the Olympic drama of benching Tatum, the Celtics got a chance to prove Kerr wrong in his decision. But it was the Warriors who got the last laugh in this game, defeating the Celtics 118-112.
The Boston Celtics Slow Start
The Boston Celtics got off to a 5-0 start in the first quarter, and while their shots were not falling right away, their defense kept Golden State off the scoreboard in the opening minutes. Neemias Queta, who was in the starting lineup again, got a big block on Andrew Wiggins. Soon after, Derrick White began to heat up, and the Celtics built a 14-3 lead midway through the quarter, with White scoring 12 of the 14. But the Warriors were quick to respond with aggressive defense of their own. The Warriors have ranked as one of the NBA’s best defenses so far this season.
Because of the defense played by both sides, it was a low-scoring first quarter, where the Boston Celtics led 24-19. In the second quarter, the Warriors took the lead off a hot shooting stretch from Kyle Anderson. Anderson made three consecutive three-pointers to put the Warriors in front. But it was the Warriors defense that maintained the lead. They played very physically without fouling and ran many double teams and traps. It gave the Celtics problems and especially affected Jayson Tatum. Tatum had 8 first half points on a rough 2-of-7 shooting and 4 turnovers.
At halftime, the Warriors had built a 51-40 lead, the lowest-scoring half for Boston all season. For the Warriors, Kyle Anderson led their first half scoring with 9 points, while Andrew Wiggins and Buddy Hield each had 8. Stephen Curry had 7 points and 6 assists. The Boston Celtics struggled offensively for almost the entire half. White led the Celtics in scoring with 12 points, but they all came in the first few minutes of the game.
A Competitive Second Half
In the third quarter, Stephen Curry and the Warriors tried to stomp out any chance of a Celtics comeback. While Boston was finally finding some success on offense, the Warriors lead never seemed to shrink. A low-scoring first half turned into a third quarter of trading baskets. Boston cut the lead to six, but the Warriors quickly got it back up to ten. But the Boston Celtics continued to fight. Tatum finally caught fire for the Celtics, hitting multiple three-pointers and getting to the basket. Tatum scored 17 third quarter points and helped the Celtics cut into Golden State’s lead. At the end of the third quarter, the Warriors led 82-81.
The Boston Celtics took the lead in the fourth quarter off of a couple of timely buckets from Derrick White. Neemias Queta also made a few big hustle plays, grabbing offensive rebounds and slamming down putback dunks. Inspired play from White and Queta helped spark a 13-4 Boston run. But the Warriors did not go away, and a few Stephen Curry buckets put them back in the lead. Then, a Curry finger roll put Golden State up by five. The Celtics tried to take it back, but a few putbacks from Kevon Looney and a Buddy Hield three sealed the Golden State win.
Final Thoughts
The Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics 118-112. After the Celtics had a rough first half and battled back to take the lead, the Warriors closed on a 30-17 run. Stephen Curry had a huge second half and led the team with 27 points and 9 assists. Jayson Tatum scored 32 for Boston, while Derrick White had 26, but it was not enough. The Warriors moved to 7-1 on the season, while the Boston Celtics dropped to 7-2.
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