OAKLAND -- Everything you need to know about the Warriors’ 109-105 win over the Celtics in quickie form.
HEADLINES
Hot start fizzles out: The Celtics opened up on fire, scoring 37 first-quarter points on 61 percent shooting to build a double-digit first-half lead. The offense struggled for much of the rest of the night, however (37 percent shooting), as Boston couldn't keep enough of a lid on Steph Curry (game-high 49 points) to win their third straight game at Oracle Arena
Kyrie puts on a show: The All-Star point guard had his most efficient night as a Celtic, going a sensational 13-of-17 from the field (including 5-of-5 from 3-point range) to keep the Celtics in the game despite constant double and triple teams from the Warriors. He finished with a team-high 37 points in 36 minutes, but airballed a free throw with two seconds remaining to keep the Celtics from having a chance for the tie on the rebound.
TURNING POINT
TWO UP
Kyrie Irving:
The All-Star starter had one of the best offensive starts of his career at Oracle Arena. He made his first seven shots from the field (three from downtown) to post 19 first-half points in just 18 minutes. The level of difficulty on Irving’s shots made that kind of output even more impressive since he sunk a pair of 30-footers along with a tough up-and-under against a Warriors defender.
Jaylen Brown's first quarter:
The other half of the Celtics backcourt did much of the team’s offensive heavy lifting in the first quarter. He started the game with the dunk after a hard Warriors closeout on him in the corner and he picked up momentum from there. He shot confidently from inside-and-out, scoring 14 points in the first half on 4-of-6 shooting, while also knocking down all four of his free throws (no small feat for a 60 percent shooter).
TWO DOWN
Klay Thompson:
The sharpshooting Warriors guard couldn’t find his rhythm at all in the first half, misfiring on six of his eight shot attempts, including both from 3-point range. He scored just four of his points in the first half despite playing a game-high 19 minutes in the opening 24 minutes and finished with just seven on the night.
Jayson Tatum:
The rookie got plenty of open looks from the 3-point arc, but missed his first three shots from downtown. His inside game was lackluster, as well as his struggles to finish around the Warriors length (Kevin Durant, David West) in the frontcourt. His four-point outing makes four single-digit point outings in the month of January.
TOP PLAY
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
Marcus Morris is going to take advantage of shot attempts available with the second unit with Marcus Smart out:
The veteran forward has never been shy about getting his shots up with the bench unit, but with Smart out for the next two weeks, there’s one less player to fight with them for. The 28-year-old was aggressive early and often against Golden State, flirting with a team-high 15 shots in 33 minutes. He made enough of them for Celtics fans not to pull their hair out, but the fortunes of the bench unit will come and go with his shooting nights for the foreseeable future it appears.
This Celtics team would match up pretty damn well with the Warriors if they had Gordon Hayward:
It was a fun battle with these two squads for the better part of 48 minutes, but you can’t help but wonder what the Celtics would look like if Gordon Hayward was out there taking Shane Larkin and Semi Ojeleye’s minutes (combined 2-of-9 shooting night). The Warriors are going to be NBA favorites for the rest of the decade (barring injury) but the Celtics are close to having the necessary personnel to give them a fight. With some more development from Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and the return of a healthy All-Star next year, this could be a fun battle for years to come.
