BOSTON — The Warriors looked like they were going to meet the Celtics’ firepower, but that only lasted the opening six minutes. From there, the C’s dominated the Warriors in an eye-opening 140-88 victory Sunday at TD Garden.
The Celtics improved to 48-12 for their 11th straight victory. The Warriors fell to 32-28 as their better recent play didn’t matter when it came to slowing down the C’s. Boston led 82-38 at halftime as the 44-point lead was its most-ever in franchise history. Even more impressively, the C’s dismantled the Warriors without big man Kristaps Porzingis, who sat with a quad contusion.
Initially, the Warriors matched the C’s as the game was tied 21-21 midway through the first quarter. But the C’s ripped off a 23-1 run, led by Jaylen Brown’s 19 points. Then the lead ballooned to historic proportions as Jayson Tatum poured in 20 points of his own in the second quarter alone.
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By the start of the second half, Warriors coach Steve Kerr emptied his bench. Soon afterwards, the C’s also subbed in their depth players as the entire second half ended up being garbage time. The Celtics’ lead peaked at 56 points Sunday as they sent a statement in the high-profile matchup.
Brown finished with 27 points in just 22 minutes on 11-for-19 shooting. Tatum had 27 points and five assists in 25 minutes on impressive 9-for-13 shooting. It was a forgettable night for Stephen Curry as he had just four points and three assists on 2-for-13 (0-for-9 on 3-pointers).
The Celtics continue their run of nationally-televised game by facing the Cavaliers at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Cleveland. Here are four takeaways from Boston’s blowout win over Golden State:
Unsuccessful strategy: Teams are clearly looking for ways to slow down the Celtics considering the many weapons they have. But Golden State had an interesting personnel choice to open the game: Leave Brown wide open. There were multiple possessions where Draymond Green let Brown shoot an uncontested shot in hopes it would get Brown in his head. The move backfired immediately as Brown was aggressive from there. Brown went on to score 19 points in the first quarter alone, including hitting 5-of-9 of his 3s. So that strategy is likely a look teams aren’t going to replicate going forward.
Defense steps up: When it was a tie game early, the Warriors got some credit for making some tough shots early. But they couldn’t keep it up as the C’s were suffocating for the rest of the first half. The Warriors mustered up just one point in the final 6:05 of the first quarter, and that point came on a technical foul free throw. By the end of the game, the Warriors shot just 39.6% from the field and 17.5% on 3s. They scored 67 points in the final 42:05 of the game.
Shots come easy: When the Celtics are making 3-pointers like they did Sunday, no team in the NBA is going to be able to beat them. The C’s started 18-for-28 from behind the arc before subbing out their starters. They finished shooting 24-for-48 (50%) on 3s by the end of the game. Of course, the C’s aren’t going to shoot like they did Sunday every game. But they sent a statement Sunday in a rematch of the 2022 NBA Finals.
Another red-hot foe: Just like the Mavericks, the Warriors came into Sunday’s game playing their best ball of the season. They were 13-3 to flip themselves into play-in contention after a sluggish start. But none of that mattered Sunday. The C’s themselves are playing impressive basketball as they extended their season-best winning streak to 11 games. But the fact the C’s are doing this against good teams is another impressive note. Now, they embark on a five-game road trip where they’ll be tested.
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