What we learned as Steph leads Warriors’ statement win vs. Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
In their first encounter the NBA certified elite this season, the Warriors came away with an idea of how close they are to joining that exclusive club.
Not only good enough to run with the defending-champion Boston Celtics but resilient enough to finish them off.
Though leading by 14 early in the second half, the Warriors held off Boston’s assault over the final 23 minutes and wound up with a profoundly satisfying 118-112 victory Wednesday night at TD Garden.
Five Warriors scored in double figures, with Stephen Curry leading the way with 27 points. Andrew Wiggins and Buddy Hield each put in 16, Kyle Anderson had 11 and Jonathan Kuminga 10 as the Warriors moved to 7-1 this season and 5-0 on the road.
After trailing early, the Warriors went ahead in the second quarter and stayed on top behind ferocious defense and strong bench play until the Celtics stormed back in the fourth, briefly taking a lead before Golden State recovered and closed them out.
Here are three takeaways from a game against one of the league’s best teams, in one of the league’s toughest buildings.
Steph Looks Juuuuust Fine
After a quiet first half, with six points in 17 minutes, Curry found his groove in second half and delivered a performance that kept the Warriors from completely falling apart.
Curry scored 21 points after intermission on 6-of-14 shooting from the field, including 3 of 9 from beyond the arc. He had a response for nearly every Boston run, with 11 points in the third quarter and 10 more in the fourth.
Curry’s 27 points came on 8-of-17 shooting from the field, including 4 of 9 from deep and 7 of 7 from the line. For good measure, he added nine assists, seven rebounds and four steals.
Though Curry returned to action only two days ago after missing a week with a sprained left ankle, he felt good enough to play a season-high 34 minutes, finishing plus-7.
Curry also moved into 30th place on the career scoring list, passing frequent Golden State critic Charles Barkley in the process.
Bench Brings Early Life
Any hope for a fast start to mute the crowd faded quickly, as the Warriors were drowsy from the tip, missing 10 of their first 11 shots and falling behind by 11 (14-3) within five minutes.
The party didn’t start until Warriors coach Steve Kerr went to his bench, summoning Gary Payton II and Buddy Hield. They woke up the squad, anchoring a 16-5 run, with Payton and Hield accounting for 12 of the 16 points. The bench supplied 14 of the 19 points in the first quarter.
The momentum carried into the second quarter, which the Warriors opened with a 14-5 run, taking a 33-29 lead and prompting the Celtics to call a full timeout.
Mostly behind Hield, Anderson, Kuminga and Payton, Golden State’s bench – the most productive in the NBA – provided 28 of the team’s 51 first-half points and 49 for the game.
JT’s (Almost) Revenge
Kerr was subjected to loud and prolonged boos during pregame introductions, not because the Warriors won the NBA Finals on that floor in 2022 but because of his sin in the role of head coach of Team USA basketball.
Because Kerr benched Celtics star Jayson Tatum for two of the six games during the Olympics in Paris, there were some raw feelings in Boston. It didn’t matter that Tatum earned a gold medal as Team USA rolled through the games unbeaten. What matters in Boston is that their guy didn’t get as much run they believed he had earned.
Though Tatum mostly downplayed the issue publicly, it’s reasonable to believe he felt neglected.
If he was seeking revenge, he got it in the third quarter. After an eight-point first half on 2-of-7 shooting from the field, including 1 of 2 from deep, he poured in 17 in the third. He was 5-of-7 from the field and 4-of-6 from distance.
He primarily was responsible for the Warriors not being able to extend their 11-point halftime lead, as the Celtics’ 41-point third quarter – after only 40 in the first half – pulled them within one in the fourth.
Scoring a game-high 30 points, Tatum did his part to bring his team back. It wasn’t enough.
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