ID 38251005 © Eric Broder Van Dyke | Dreamstime.com
With Stephen Curry leading the charge with 27 points, the Golden State Warriors saw victory over the Boston Celtics with a 118-112 win on Wednesday night. This marked the fifth win in a row for the Warriors. Contributing to the victory was Buddy Hield with 16 points, matching Andrew Wiggins’ score for Golden State, now 7-1 in the season.
Curry returned to the floor for his second consecutive game after sitting out three due to an ankle injury. Boston’s Jayson Tatum outscored all with 32 points, while Derrick White chipped in with 26 points and six rebounds.
Warriors Coach Faces Backlash
Steve Kerr, the Warriors’ coach, had to face the wrath of the TD Garden crowd, disappointed with his handling of Tatum during the Paris Olympics. Despite the crowd’s displeasure, the Warriors maintained their composure with a 115-112 lead. Draymond Green extended it by hitting a free throw with just 11 seconds remaining. Kyle Anderson put the game away with two decisive free throws with only 2.4 seconds left on the clock.
Key Absences and Takeaways
Jaylen Brown, Boston’s forward, was absent from his third consecutive game due to a strained left hip flexor. The Warriors were also short of guard Brandin Podziemski due to illness. Despite these setbacks, the Warriors managed to outperform their last visit to Boston, where they were defeated by a staggering 52 points.
After an initial 11-point lead by the Celtics, the Warriors tightened their defense, effectively neutralizing Tatum’s threat and establishing an 11-point advantage by halftime. The Celtics’ usually dynamic offense seemed somewhat stagnant without Brown in the first half but picked up pace later with Tatum scoring 17 points in the third quarter.
Crucial Moments and Stats
A key moment came when the Warriors’ lead was reduced to 106-104. Curry’s driving layup was partially blocked, but Kevon Looney followed up with a put-back layup. Tatum missed his shot on the other end, and Hield landed a right-wing 3-pointer, expanding Golden State’s lead to seven points with just 46.3 seconds left.
A notable statistic from the game was the Warriors’ 52 points in the paint, in comparison to the Celtics’ 36.
What’s Next?
The Warriors are set to face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night, while the Celtics will host the Brooklyn Nets.
