Final: Warriors 107, Celtics 97 - Curry’s 43 points help Warriors even up NBA Finals

The Celtics might have been on the verge of putting a stranglehold on this NBA Finals, but Steph Curry had other plans.

With his team’s back against the wall, Curry delivered in enemy territory — dropping 43 points and dealing Boston a 107-97 loss in Game 4 at TD Garden.

Thanks to Curry’s lights-out performance, the C’s and Warriors will head back to San Francisco with this series stuck in a 2-2 deadlock. Game 5 is set for Monday night at 9 p.m. 

Curry’s heroics might steal most of the headlines on the night, but the Celtics will also be kicking themselves for failing to deliver a knockout punch to the Dubs — with Boston knocked for 16 turnovers and doomed by a stagnant offensive performance down the stretch. 

With 4:35 left in regulation, the Celtics held onto a 94-92 lead, but only managed to record three points the rest of the night — sinking just one of their seven three-point attempts to close out a frustrating night on the parquet floor. 

Jayson Tatum led the way with 23 points for Boston, but was also knocked for six turnovers. Jaylen Brown added 21 points in the loss. 

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NBA FINALS, GAME 4
Golden State Warriors vs. Boston Celtics
Boston leads 2-1

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

#19 James Capers

#5 Kane Fitzgerald 

#42 Eric Lewis

Alternate: #4 Sean Wright

Replay Center: Scott Foster

INJURIES

Celtics: 

Robert Williams – AVAILABLE (left knee soreness)

Warriors:

Stephen Curry – PROBABLE (left foot soreness)

Andre Iguodala – QUESTIONABLE (right knee inflammation)

Otto Porter Jr. – QUESTIONABLE (left foot soreness)

James Wiseman – OUT (right knee injury management)

 ODDS

Boston is favored by -4

THREE THINGS TO WATCH FOR

1. Steph Curry’s foot: This is pretty simple -- if his foot injury slows him down at all, then the Warriors are pretty much done. The Celtics might be daring him to beat them with their defensive schemes, and he’s getting Golden State pretty close, but that goes away if he’s not himself. 

This puts added emphasis on Jordan Poole, who may not be ready for this moment. He’s struggled a bit and has been targeted relentlessly by the Celtics on the defensive end. If he has to play significant minutes without full confidence because of Curry’s injury, then we’ll be looking at fourth quarter garbage time. 

2. Robert Williams knee: Williams has slowly come around, having his best game in quite a while in Game 3. The good news is that not only did he seem to be moving better than he has in a while in that game, he said on Thursday that he was “feeling good this morning. One of the better days.”

Still, this is the only game of the series where Williams had one day off in between games. That grind didn't work very well for him in the last series. There is some concern that losing that day of recovery for Williams could hamper his athleticism.

The Celtics are a flat-out different team when Robert Williams is his normal self. He changes the entire calculus of Boston’s defense, and makes it so much more difficult for other teams to score. If he can come out in Game 4 with the same level of poise and athleticism, the Celtics will be very difficult to beat.

3. Draymond Green’s aggression: He played terribly in Game 3. He also played terribly in Game 1. He was a big reason for Golden State’s big Game 2, so if the pattern continues, we can expect Green to come out ultra-aggressive, challenging the officials to call fouls as he blurs the line more and more between what’s allowed on the floor and what’s not. 

If he’s out there pulling his antics again, Boston has to rise above the noise and respond with their play. 

GAME THREAD

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