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Kendra AndrewsESPN
SAN FRANCISCO — of their first matchup since sport 6 of the 2022 NBA Finals, the Warriors beat the Boston Celtics 123-107 on Saturday night in Golden State’s best and most full sport of the season.
coming into the rivals, the Celtics had been thought of the elevated of the two teams with their NBA-best file. however the troopers dominated for a lot of the sport, with Boston’s largest lead being by simply one level 4 minutes into the foremost quarter.
As he walked again to the locker room, Draymond inexperienced referred to as the sport a press launch win for a Warriors staff that has struggled to get your hands on sustained success by way of the early portion of the season. Jordan Poole acknowledged it was an event of how gifted Golden State might be when it locks in.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr agreed with each sentiments.
“particularly the strategy by which they’ve performed this yr, they’ve simply been so good, so dominant. i assumed we wished a sport like that,” Kerr acknowledged. “we have been a bit caught inside the mud. It appears like we have gotten elevated, however not a full lot to level out for it. This was an very important win for us.”
Stephen Curry, the Finals MVP, scored 32 factors on 12-of-21 capturing, collectively with six three-pointers. Klay Thompson added 34 factors on 14-of-26 capturing, collectively with 4 3s.
The duo mixed to discover or assist on seventy two of Golden State’s factors, shot 12-of-18 over Jaylen Brown and Marcus good — two of the Celtics’ best defenders — and had been thirteen-of-27 off the dribble. Their forty one mixed factors inside the foremost half had been their most since Oct. 29, 2018, in the direction of the Chicago Bulls.
however it wasn’t simply their offense that helped gas the troopers. Defensively, Curry and Thompson held the Celtics to 7-of-19 capturing from the floor when actually one of them was the foremost defender.
“the sport was linked,” Curry acknowledged. “whereas you are locked in defensively and also you are nervous with regard to the issues that influence the move of the sport and your matchup and the challenges there, you are typically rewarded with seems and rhythm and move on offense. … It was good to see the whole lot join on each ends for [Thompson] and for our staff.”
earlier to his accidents, Thompson usually took on the project of defending the opponent’s best participant, however since his return, it hasn’t always been his job.
however with Andrew Wiggins sidelined for the second sport in a row with an adductor strain, Thompson, as properly as to Jonathan Kuminga, was assigned to defend Tatum. They helped maintain the Celtics star to 18 factors on 6-of-21 capturing; his 15 misses tied a season extreme.
“I missed an unimaginable deal of layups,” Tatum acknowledged. “they’ve been taking half in elevated as of late, and additionally they appear to be a properly-balanced gifted staff on each ends. They make it strong on you, and that i really feel my contact was off. however solely an unimaginable deal of simple ones I missed.”
Thompson acknowledged his favourite play of the night occurred ninety seconds into the sport when he blocked Tatum’s shot off the backboard. it is one factor he acknowledged he hadn’t carried out in 4 years.
“I cherish with the vitality to go on the market and play protection and compete better than I ever have earlier than,” Thompson acknowledged. “So whereas you face the proper, your sport typically displays that and also you are attempting to rise to the extent of rivals.”
the troopers (14-thirteen) did not have an further layer of motivation Saturday night solely as a end result of it was a Finals rematch, however in addition as a end result of they had been coming off a gut-wrenching loss in Utah two nights earlier than.
With the troopers heading out on a six-sport, 9-day road journey Monday — they’re 2-eleven away from Chase center this season — they wished to assemble momentum at residence.
Curry acknowledged the victory in the direction of Boston (21-6) was all however a should-win sport.
“It simply presents you the recipe on the depth and focus it is advisable to ought to beat a staff like that,” Curry acknowledged. “figuring out how laborious it is to win on the road, we have not carried out it properly in any respect this season. … we want to be snug with ourselves getting on the plane … and decide the becoming approach to basically revenue from the prospect in entrance of us.”
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