The Boston Celtics defeated the Golden State Warriors 125-85. This game was the start of a four-game road trip for the Celtics, and it can’t start much better than winning by 40 points. They were fully healthy, but the Warriors missed Draymond Green, Brandin Podziemski, Kyle Anderson, and Jonathan Kuminga. Jayson Tatum scored 22 points with 9 rebounds and 7 assists without playing in the fourth quarter. The Boston Celtics improved to 30-13 and the Warriors dropped to 21-21.
The Golden State Warriors Start Slow
The Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics in the TD Garden in their last meeting. Boston was eager for revenge and got out to an 8-0 lead. Golden State responded with an 8-0 run of their own, tying the game. Kristaps Porzingis was scoring early, but the rest of the offense was sloppy, filled with lazy passes and turnovers. The Warriors took the lead but did not hold it after a few buckets from Jaylen Brown. The Celtics then went on a 14-1 run, extending their lead to end the quarter. Golden State went on a cold stretch once Stephen Curry was subbed out and Boston took advantage. At the end of the first quarter, the Boston Celtics led 29-18.
The Boston Celtics tried to maintain their lead through the second quarter. Golden State was still cold, but the lead did not grow. Both teams were trading misses for half the quarter. This went on until Payton Pritchard got a few buckets inside. The Warriors could not generate any offense without Curry on the floor as Boston built on their lead, going up by as many as 19. A few buckets from Curry trimmed the deficit and the Warriors hustled for offensive rebounds, getting second-chance points. At halftime, the Boston Celtics led 54-39.
The Boston Celtics did not have a great half offensively, but thanks to Golden State’s cold shooting, they had a 15-point lead. Porzingis led the team with 12 points, followed by Tatum with 10, and Brown with 8. The Celtics have had offensive struggles on their recent 8-8 stretch, but thankfully, the Warriors were struggling even more. Curry led them with 9 points, while Dennis Schroder had 7. The Boston Celtics should have been leading by more than they were. They’ve blown halftime leads before to the Thunder, Magic, and others. Going up against a player like Curry, Boston couldn’t take their foot off the gas.
The Boston Celtics Pull Away
In the third quarter, a Jrue Holiday three-pointer and a Porzingis and-one kept the Boston Celtics ahead. They continued their defensive efforts, and a Brown three-pointer gave them a 23-point lead. Again, the Celtics were not playing excellent offense, the Warriors just weren’t scoring. But then the Celtics caught fire. Boston went on a 9-0 run with Tatum, Porzingis, and Brown rolling. Golden State made some efforts to close the gap, as Curry got into a three-point shootout with the Celtics, but the deficit was massive. Through three quarters, the Boston Celtics led 97-63. They outscored the Warriors 43-24 in the quarter.
Tatum scored 12 and Brown scored 9 in the third quarter, putting the game out of reach. It is usually a good thing if a team can afford to bench their star players in the fourth quarter, and that was the situation the Boston Celtics were in. Pritchard and Sam Hauser got to shine for Boston in the final quarter, while the Warriors subbed in their bench. Luke Kornet got himself a few highlights, throwing down dunks and getting an emphatic block. Jordan Walsh also hit a pair of three-pointers, which was encouraging to see. After a dominant third quarter, the Boston Celtics coasted to a 125-85 win.
Final Thoughts
The Boston Celtics improved to 30-13 with the victory. Tatum scored 22 points, Porzingis scored 18, and Brown scored 17 when none of them played in the fourth quarter. The win gives them a good start to their four-game road trip. The Warriors fell to 21-21 with the loss. Curry led the team with 18 points, but the big story was the lack of offense around him. Golden State shot 34.8% from the field and 26.4% from three. This 40-point victory was one of the Celtics’ strongest wins of the season.
