FINAL: Game 3 - Celtics 116, Warriors 100 - Boston withstands run, shoots 49% to take series lead

In a nutshell:

• Jaylen Brown had 17 points in the first quarter as the Celtics raced out to a 15-point led.
• Warriors made a run in the second but the Celtics closed well with Steph Curry on the bench and led by 12.
• Golden State came roaring back in the third, as usual, and took a brief lead thanks to a 7-point possession. But the Celtics answered behind Jayson Tatum.
• Draymond Green fouled out, much to the delight of the Garden crowd.

NBA FINALS, GAME 3
Golden State Warriors vs. Boston Celtics
TD Garden
9:00 PM - ABC 

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS

Boston: Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Robert Williams

Golden State: Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, Kevon Looney

OFFICIALS

#48 Scott Foster
#16 David Guthrie          
#61 Courtney Kirkland
Alternate: #74 Curtis Blair
Replay Center: Kane Fitzgerald

INJURIES 

Celtics: 

Robert Williams – AVAILABLE (left knee soreness)

Warriors:

Andre Iguodala – AVAILABLE (right knee inflammation)

Gary Payton II – AVAILABLE (left elbow fracture)

Otto Porter Jr. – AVAILABLE (left foot soreness)

James Wiseman – OUT (right knee injury recovery)

ODDS 

Boston is favored by -3.5

THREE THINGS TO WATCH FOR

1. A lineup change? Ime Udoka may certainly be engaging in some gamesmanship, but he’s also pretty direct with his answers. When he was asked about potentially going smaller more often, he said “we discussed all situations, scenarios. We are looking at different lineups and combinations that have worked and know what we can go with against them.

“Part of it going into it was shaving Al's minutes down after some major minutes in the last series, and then a chance to reevaluate Rob as we went. Those are things that played into some of the things we did in the first few games. We're also looking at adjustments with lineups and rotations.”

So this tells me (1) Horford is just about at his max when it comes to minutes amd (2) Keeping Williams to about 20-25 minutes means he’s not physically able to give much more. 

That means either more Daniel Theis, more Grant Williams, or more Derrick White with minute split between Horford and Robert Williams at center. 

If Ime wants a big on the floor at all times, then starting smaller and having Rob off the bench makes sense. This could throw off what the Warriors want to do as well, so it could be something we’ll see. 

2. Better spacing: A lineup tweak would allow Boston to play more five-out sets, spreading Golden State’s help out closer to the perimeter. That will open up driving lanes with fewer hands slapping away at the ball. With fewer hands in there, Tatum and Brown can get to the rim with a little less resistance, and maybe refs will see some of those slaps a little more clearly. 

3. The third quarter: This is the most obvious thing, but the Celtics are also still not anywhere close to where they need to be to start second halves. 

They used to be a really good third quarter team themselves. They need to find that again and match Golden State tonight. That alone could be the difference between a win and a loss. 

A LITTLE MORE

Tom Westerholm and I discuss some of the changes we might see, and the change in atmosphere around the Garden, in the latest Locked On Celtics podcast. 

GAME THREAD

Stick around for more comments below as the game goes on. Feel free to add your two cents in the comments.