Warriors lean on protection to defeat defending-champion Celtics in hostile territory

BOSTON — The Warriors have talked since coaching camp in Hawaii about making protection their identification.

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 ranking within the league, however they’d solely taken care of enterprise towards lesser groups. The defending champion Celtics, with one of the best offense within the league even with out Kristaps Porzingis (and Jaylen Brown on Wednesday), introduced by far their largest 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 had 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 broadly regarded finest workforce within the league.

“Obviously, Boston was without Jaylen Brown and Porzingis, so this is not the best version of their team, but they’re still damn good,” Steve Kerr mentioned postgame. “It’s a hell of a win in a tough environment. We had some guys out, too.”

The sport actually had an intense vibe. Golden State closed out its fourth title in eight years on this constructing. Boston, after years of routinely enjoying the Warriors tight, appeared to exorcize their Bay Space demons final 12 months, 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 Workforce USA — and three Celtics — to Olympic gold this summer season. Celtics followers, bereaved at Kerr’s resolution to bench and restrict Celtics star Jayson Tatum’s enjoying time in Paris, welcomed the Warriors coach with a refrain of boos. All recreation, 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 group — and Boston’s bench — took umbrage with.

No common season recreation, notably a November recreation, needs 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 pictures, however Boston didn’t capitalize with the sort of huge first-quarter run they’ve typically 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 along with his full 11-man rotation.

The Celtics didn’t have Kyle Anderson warmth test 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 — probably the most voluminous 3-point taking pictures workforce ever — went 6-for-20 from behind the arc and shot 35.1% general. The Warriors compelled 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 way of 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, always 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 get well 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 just killed us,” Kerr mentioned. “That’s how they started knocking down 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 recreation again from a sprained ankle, 34 minutes was actually 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 combos 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 slender 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 along with his soar shot on the night time, hit three of 4 within the last minute to cement the win.

Tatum, on an anticipated night time through which he may have caught it to Kerr with an enormous efficiency, bowed his head as he walked again to the house locker room.

Initially Revealed: November 6, 2024 at 7:08 PM PST