Everything you need to know about the Warriors beating the Celtics 115-111 with BSJ insight and analysis
Box Score
HEADLINES
Heavyweight fight lives up to the hype: The Celtics and Warriors have played several classics over the past three seasons and this one was no different in front of a packed TD Garden. The All-Stars played playoff minutes and the competitiveness was constant throughout in the midst of 21 lead changes over the course of 48 minutes. Kyrie Irving (32 points, 10 assists) and Kevin Durant (33 points, 9 rebounds) were the best two players on the floor all night and carried their squads into a 111-111 tie with just over a minute remaining. However, the Warriors outscored the C’s 4-0 over the final 68 seconds at the free throw line as Marcus Morris, Irving and Marcus Smart also missed looks in the 45 seconds after Klay Thompson scored the go-ahead free throws.
Al Horford (22 points, 13 rebounds) played well in 35 minutes but had some costly turnovers down the stretch while Jayson Tatum added 20 points in the setback as Boston had their five-game winning streak snapped. Steph Curry (23 points) and Thompson (21 points) chipped in big for the visitors who have now won ten straight overall.
Bench falls flat: The starters built leads in both the first and third quarters, but the second unit had trouble holding their ground against the depth of the Warriors roster. Jaylen Brown (10 points) had a solid offensive performance but the rest of his benchmates fell flat, combining for just six points, including just two from Gordon Hayward. Collectively, the group was just 5-of-19 from the field and forced the starting five to play from behind in the fourth quarter before they ultimately fell short.
Free throw disadvantage looms large: The Warriors shot just 29 percent in the fourth quarter from the field but managed to score 25 points thanks to 16 free throws attempted the frame. The visitors held a 34-15 edge at the charity stripe on the night as the C’s routinely made mental mistakes that produced easy points at the line, including fouling Durant twice on 3-point attempts. The difference was enough to get the Warriors their tenth straight win despite the Celtics attempting 16 more field goals on the night.
TURNING POINT
The game was tied up at 111 with a minute remaining after Marcus Smart drained a 3-pointer but the Celtics fouled Thompson (21 points) on the ensuing possession, which allowed Golden State to get back in front. A pair of misses on 3s from Smart and Morris on the next possession did not go down and Smart slipped on the other end of the floor while attempting to box out Draymond Green on a missed free throw that allowed the Warrior to corral the offensive rebound with 6.2 seconds remaining. Curry then hit a pair of free throws to put the Warriors up by four and lock up the win.
TWO UP
Irving: The All-Star was the best player on the floor before intermission, scoring a game-high 19 points and dishing out a team-high five assists as he wreaked havoc from inside and out against the Warriors defense. The 26-year-old was also extremely active on the glass (four rebounds) and defense (two steals) as he wisely played free safety off non-shooters like Andre Iguodala and Green. He added 13 more in the fourth quarter to finish with 32 on the night. He’s scored 25 or more points in six straight games.
Jayson Tatum: The 20-year-old was on fire in the third quarter, scoring 14 of his 20 points in the frame, including four straight makes in the opening five minutes. The outburst came against the likes of Green and Iguodala, showcasing that the emerging star is capable of getting his shot off against some of the better defenders in the league.
TWO DOWN
Marcus Morris: The veteran forward reverted a bit too much into an isolation game in this one, challenging the likes of Iguodala and Durant in midrange postups, which certainly isn’t a winning battle for the 29-year-old. Morris missed eight of his first 11 shots from the field and missed a potential go-ahead 3 with 10 seconds remaining.
Gordon Hayward: The swingman continues to battle consistency all year long but this was a tough night for him to be an offensive dud. He missed all five of his shots on the evening, including a wide open layup in transition, scoring just two points over 22 minutes. He was solid on the defensive end but the Celtics need more from him going forward to have any hope of keeping pace with the Warriors’ firepower in a potential seven-game series.
TOP PLAY
Tatum elevates and throws down the hammer! pic.twitter.com/cr8Bhn7gvX
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 27, 2019