OAKLAND — Everything you need to know about the Celtics beating the Warriors 128-95 with BSJ insight and analysis
Box Score
HEADLINES
Celtics respond to woeful stretch with best performance of year: The Celtics have struggled all year long to put together 48-minute performances, but they managed to find their rhythm in one of the toughest places to play in the NBA. Boston came out of the gate with an 11-0 run and did not take their foot off the gas for the remainder of the contest, leading wire-to-wire while handing the Warriors their worst home loss in nearly 10 years. The Celtics offense was poetry in motion for the better part of 48 minutes, scoring 128 points with six players in double figures led by Gordon Hayward posting 30 points off Boston’s bench. Kyrie Irving added 19 points and 11 assists, setting the tone for Boston’s unselfishness on their way to a season-high 38 assists. Steph Curry had a team-high 23 points for the hosts but Kevin Durant (5-of-16 FG) and DeMarcus Cousins (10 points) struggled for the undermanned Warriors, who were missing Shaun Livingston and Klay Thompson due to injury.
Hayward and Brown set the tone: We’ve seen a few impressive performances from Hayward over the course of his up-and-down regular season, but this might have been the best of the bunch. The swingman led the team in points (30), rebounds (seven) and was scorching hot from the field, going 12-of-16 overall and 4-of-6 from 3-point range, surpassing his total output in his previous five games since the All-Star Break. Hayward (plus-32) and Jaylen Brown (18 points) set the tone with their aggression from the moment they stepped on the floor and helped the Celtics keep their foot on the gas all night long to prevent any serious runs by Golden State after the C’s built a double-digit lead.
Another win in Oracle: The victory gives Boston their third win at Oracle Arena in the past four seasons, in what will be their final game in the building barring a trip to the NBA Finals this summer. No other team in the NBA has a winning record at Oracle over the past five seasons and while past performances don’t have any impact on this year, the victory was a timely reminder of what this group is capable of when firing on all cylinders. It’s unclear whether the Celtics will be able to fight their way out of a loaded Eastern Conference but if they do, they look as well equipped as anyone to go toe-to-toe with the defending champs from a personnel standpoint.
TURNING POINT
The Celtics opened up the second quarter on a 13-3 run while Al Horford and Irving were resting on the bench, as the second unit opened up an 18-point lead against the defending champions. The efficient offense of Hayward and Brown allowed the C’s to keep their foot on the gas for the entire frame, setting the tone on their way to a 41-point outburst in the period.
TWO UP
Gordon Hayward: After shooting just 8-of-26 from the field in his first five games since the All-Star break, the swingman nearly matched that production in just 14 minutes of action in the first half. He led all scorers with 19 points before the break on 7-of-8 shooting, attacking the basket with an aggression that C’s fans had rarely seen all year on his way to a 30-point. He also knocked down four 3s and was a team-best plus-32.
Jaylen Brown: The case can be made for him to earn a starting job at this point, but Stevens has opted to keep him in his comfort zone off the bench for the time being, where he continued to thrive against a hapless Warriors defense on Tuesday night. The 22-year-old drove his way into the paint nearly at will and struck a superb balance of attacking the basket and finding his teammates when he found traffic waiting for him. With 18 points on an efficient 50 percent shooting night, the athletic guard has now scored in double figures during 16 of his last 17 games.
ONE DOWN
Kevin Durant: The All-Star looked listless on both ends of the floor, missing 11 of his 16 shots while coughing up the ball a team-high five times.
TOP PLAY
Tatum just swallowed KD whole pic.twitter.com/9sfExi8zWU
— Marc D'Amico (@Marc_DAmico) March 6, 2019
