BOSTON – The Celtics nonetheless don’t have a solution for the Warriors’ third-quarter outbursts.
But it surely didn’t matter Wednesday night time at TD Backyard.
Led by aggressive efforts from Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Sensible, the Celtics beat the Warriors 116-100 to win Recreation 3 of the NBA Finals and take a 2-1 lead within the best-of-seven sequence.
Stephen Curry made six 3-pointers and scored 31 factors Wednesday night time whereas Klay Thompson bounced again in Recreation 3 after a poor begin to the sequence with 25 factors and 5 3-pointers, however it wasn’t sufficient because the Celtics overwhelmed the Warriors within the fourth quarter.
After one other spectacular offensive show, Curry was visibly shaken up within the closing minutes of the sport as Celtics middle Al Horford rolled up on Curry’s left leg whereas diving for a unfastened ball late within the fourth quarter. The play additionally resulted within the sixth foul on Draymond Inexperienced, who exited the sport to the identical refrain of boos and express chants he heard from the second he walked on the courtroom Wednesday.
Curry stated after the sport that it felt like he sprained his left foot however doesn’t anticipate he’ll miss a recreation.
“Clearly in some ache, however I’ll be all proper,” he stated. “See the way it feels tomorrow and prepare for Friday.”
With the assistance of its stifling protection that continuously attacked the Warriors on the rim, Boston was up by as many as 18 factors, however no Celtics’ lead felt secure as a number of Curry-led rallies saved the Warriors inside putting distance.
After trailing by 12 on the half, the Warriors put collectively one other spectacular third-quarter efficiency that included a 12-0 run.
Within the third quarter, Curry nailed a 26-foot triple regardless of making contact with Al Horford, who was issued a Flagrant 1 foul that led to a seven-point possession that concluded when Otto Porter Jr. made a 3-pointer to drag the Warriors inside two factors of the Celtics.
Then, it was Curry – once more – who put the Warriors up 83-82 for Golden State’s first lead for the reason that opening possession.
Golden State outscored the Celtics 33-25 within the 12 minutes out of the locker room. However in contrast to Recreation 2, Boston continued to battle again, regaining management of the sport to take a 93-89 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Boston bested the Warriors 11-4 within the first 4 minutes of the ultimate quarter, pulling forward 104-93. Curry did his greatest to maintain the Warriors within the recreation, however took a beating, particularly when he bought twisted up with Horford. He was additionally grimacing as he grabbed at his rib cage on the bench following a departure with 2:19 left within the recreation.
At that time, the Warriors, down by 14, waved the white flag, inserting rookies Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody right into a recreation Steve Kerr was able to concede.
“We bought them transferring, we bought them scattered, defensively we had been swarming. We had been everywhere, and we took away what they had been attempting to do. Why we didn’t maintain it, I don’t know I've to return and watch the movie and see the place we let go of the rope at,” stated Inexperienced, who admittedly performed “like s—” and completed with two factors, 4 rebounds and three assists. “I’m positive there are some issues we’ll look again at and take away from it and ensure we convey it to Friday’s recreation.”
Brown led the Celtics with 4 3-pointers and scored a team-high 27 factors – 17 of which had been scored within the opening quarter. In the meantime, Tatum had 26 factors and 9 assists.
Golden State struggled off the glass and had been outrebounded 47-31 on Wednesday. Boston additionally outscored the Warriors 52-26 within the paint.
“They'd us scrambling in our rotations and a variety of lengthy rebounds, and we wasn’t in a position to maintain our bodies on our bodies. They simply beat us to all of the 50/0 balls,” Kevon Looney stated. “Credit score to them.”
Wednesday’s loss marked the primary time this postseason the Warriors have been defeated of their first recreation on an opponent’s residence courtroom within the playoffs.
“We’re not going to overreact,” Thompson stated. “We’ve been on this state of affairs earlier than. Getting massive 2015 vibes.”