BOSTON — The Warriors have talked since coaching camp in Hawaii about making protection their id.
Wednesday night time within the TD Backyard was the night time it turned true.
The Warriors entered the night time with the second finest defensive score within the league, however they’d solely taken care of enterprise towards lesser groups. The defending champion Celtics, with the perfect offense within the league even with out Kristaps Porzingis (and Jaylen Brown on Wednesday), introduced by far their greatest problem but.
And Golden State proved its defensive prowess is actual.
Andrew Wiggins locked up Jayson Tatum (32 factors) for lengthy stretches of the sport. The Warriors’ rotations have been on-point. Golden State held the Celtics to 16 factors within the second quarter and dismal first-half taking pictures. They recovered from a tricky third quarter to clamp down in a back-and-forth fourth.
The Warriors (7-1) held the Celtics to their season-low 112 factors, extending their profitable streak to 5 with a 118-112 victory. Steph Curry scored a season-high 27 factors and added 9 assists, seven rebounds and 4 steals to upset what’s extensively regarded finest staff within the league.
“Clearly, Boston was with out Jaylen Brown and Porzingis, so this isn’t the perfect model of their staff, however they’re nonetheless rattling good,” Steve Kerr stated postgame. “It’s a hell of a win in a tricky surroundings. We had some guys out, too.”
The sport definitely had an intense vibe. Golden State closed out its fourth title in eight years on this constructing. Boston, after years of routinely taking part in the Warriors tight, appeared to exorcize their Bay Space demons final yr, after they stomped Golden State by 52 right here.
There wasn’t an iota of gratitude within the TD Backyard crowd for Steve Kerr, who helped lead Staff USA — and three Celtics — to Olympic gold this summer time. Celtics followers, bereaved at Kerr’s choice to bench and restrict Celtics star Jayson Tatum’s taking part in time in Paris, welcomed the Warriors coach with a refrain of boos. All sport, 4 followers wearing Tatum USA jerseys sat subsequent to Kerr alongside the visiting bench.
However the remainder of the boos largely got here after foul calls the gang — and Boston’s bench — took umbrage with.
No common season sport, significantly a November sport, ought to be weighed an excessive amount of. However the Celtics represented the Warriors’ first true take a look at of the season.
It was ugly early. The Warriors missed ten of their first 11 photographs, however Boston didn’t capitalize with the type of huge first-quarter run they’ve usually made this season. They went on a five-minute scoring drought in a sloppy first quarter; Boston shot 31.6% from the ground, whereas the Warriors shot 29.2%.
Then the Warriors took their first lead of the sport with an all-bench unit to start out the second. Even with out Brandin Podziemski (sickness) and De’Anthony Melton (again), Kerr caught together with his full 11-man rotation.
The Celtics didn’t have Kyle Anderson warmth verify on their bingo card. To place Golden State forward, Anderson drilled three 3-pointers in a row. Earlier than that, he was 3-for-16 on the season.
Then the Warriors received the second quarter, 32-16. Moses Moody hauled in an offensive rebound and banked in a runner on the horn to ship the Warriors into halftime with a 51-40 lead.
At that time, the Celtics — essentially the most voluminous 3-point taking pictures staff ever — went 6-for-20 from behind the arc and shot 35.1% total. The Warriors pressured them into 10 turnovers, together with 4 from Tatum.
On the defensive finish, Wiggins appeared like he did within the 2022 NBA Finals. He locked up Tatum in isolation and fought by screens to drive contested 3s or lengthy twos. Tatum, who has begun this season on an MVP tempo, shot 2-for-7 within the first half.
Draymond Inexperienced, who has been terrific this season defensively, continuously mucked up the paint with rotations. On one play, Jrue Vacation beat Curry alongside the baseline, just for Inexperienced to chop him off on the block, permitting Curry to recuperate and strip Vacation. After the swipe, Curry discovered Moody within the nook for a 3.
Tatum discovered a rhythm within the third, scoring 17 factors within the quarter. Curry practically matched him with 11, however the Warriors’ protection that swarmed within the first half instantly surrendered 41 factors — and 10 3-pointers and a swath of second-chance scores.
“The offensive rebounds simply killed us,” Kerr stated. “That’s how they began flattening 3s.”
Clinging to an 82-81 result in begin the ultimate quarter, the Warriors introduced Curry again in for the ultimate eight minutes. He wasn’t on a minutes restriction like he was in Washington, however in solely his second sport again from a sprained ankle, 34 minutes was definitely an indication of the Warriors going for it.
When Curry checked in for the fourth quarter, the Warriors trailed by 4. He sank three free throws and canned a step-back 3 within the nook, drawing the Warriors again inside one. The Warriors’ lineup mixtures round him skewed towards protection, which as soon as once more slowed Boston.
Curry then completed inside to cap an 11-2 Warriors run earlier than Tatum transformed an and-1. After his foul shot, the Warriors led by two with as many minutes left.
A pair of Kevon Looney buckets maintained Golden State’s slim cushion, then Buddy Hield hit a nook 3, celebrating with Curry because the Warriors pushed its result in a game-high seven.
The Celtics turned the final two minutes right into a free-throw contest, and the Warriors made sufficient to ice the sport. Draymond Inexperienced, who struggled together with his soar shot on the night time, hit three of 4 within the closing minute to cement the win.
Tatum, on an anticipated night time through which he might have caught it to Kerr with an enormous efficiency, bowed his head as he walked again to the house locker room.
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