BOSTON (AP) — Jason Tatum scored 34 points and grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds, after Al Horford scored 3 extra points with one of his own Thursday night to help the Celtics pull away from Golden State in a rematch of the league Finals. american pro. Warriors 121-118.
Jaylen Brown added 16 points and nine rebounds, making a 3-pointer with 18 seconds left to send the game into overtime. Horford had 20 points, 10 boards and three blocked shots for the Celtics, who lost to the Warriors in the NBA Finals in six games and then lost their fourth straight game to them in their first regular season game in December.
Stephen Curry scored 29 points, Jordan Paul 24, and Klay Thompson also 24 before going into overtime for the defending champion, who is down to 5-18 on the road this season.
The Celtics led by as many as 10 in the first half but trailed the entire second half before Brown made a 3-pointer to tie it at 106. Boston scored the first four points of overtime but Draymond Green hit a pair of free throws and Curry sank a 3-pointer to give the Warriors fore.
Brown made a float to make it 112-111 Boston, then Horford hit a three-pointer and Tatum made his field goal to give the Celtics a 118-111 lead with 1:26 to play. Boston got a sloppy run down the stretch to give Golden State a chance at the buzzer, but Paul’s half-court shot wasn’t even close.
The Warriors won the Finals in Game 6 in Boston, then won their first regular season rematch on December 10 in San Francisco. Even though the Celtics had the best record in the NBA this season, losing to Golden State still got them upset.
long shots
Curry wowed the Celtics crowd at halftime with his officially listed 50-foot buzzer bat.
The Warriors had the ball as the clock ticked down, but Malcolm Brogdon stole it from Thompson and got it to Tatum. Curry took it from him and lined up a 3D pointer from the far side of the half court circle.
It swayed through the net, giving the Warriors a 55-54 lead.
regulations
Boston scored 12 of their first 14 points in the second quarter to turn a 1-point deficit into a 10-point lead, but the Warriors quickly regained the lead and made it to 11, 85-74, with two minutes left. Third.
After the Celtics tied it with Brown’s 3, the Warriors elected not to call a timeout, and Curry dribbled the clock before throwing a 3-point attempt that came off the front of the rim. (The Celtics managed to get a timeout with 0.5 seconds left, but couldn’t get a shot.)
back
The Browns returned to Boston after missing three games with a hip injury. Robert Williams III of the Celtics missed the December 10 game between the two teams and was out in the first 29 games of the season recovering from left knee surgery.
With Curry returning on January 10 from an 11-game absence (left shoulder subluxation), and Wiggins returning earlier in the month after missing 15 games (strained muscles in right leg; non-COVID illness), both teams were relatively healthy.
Tip-ins
Horford had 10 points, five rebounds and a blocker in the first quarter. … Thompson made his fifth foul and went to the bench with eight minutes left in the fourth period. … Wiggins scored 20 points, and Green had 11 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists. … Williams had 14 points and 11 boards. smart record 18.
next one
Warriors: Visit Cleveland on Friday.
Celtics: Visit Toronto on Saturday.
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