The Celtics defeated the Warriors 140-88 to extend their winning run to 11 games in the 2022 Finals. Their resounding 52-point victory is their third-biggest in team history.
The Warriors’ attack was shut down by the Celtics, who played with great intensity and commitment on both ends of the court. They also continued to operate at a fast pace, producing numerous high-quality shots.
Jaylen Brown ended with 29 points in 22 minutes after scoring 19 points in the first quarter. Living in his jersey, he did a fantastic job of protecting Curry as well.
Jayson Tatum, his brilliant running partner, scored 27 points throughout the game and 20 in the second quarter. In his 25 minutes on the court on his 26th birthday, he also handed out five assists.
The fact that Golden State won on Sunday despite Kristaps Porzingis’s absence due to a left quad contusion is even more remarkable.
This game showed that, even without their seven-foot-three center in the lineup, the secrets to designing a successful offense and the significance of playing complimentary basketball—where everything that occurs on the field is connected—remain the same.
Still, it’s usually difficult to avoid not having him available. Here’s a closer look at why it wasn’t on Sunday and what transpired as the hosts established an NBA record with their third victory of at least 50 points this season and extended the winning streak in the league to 11.
In the opening frame of the Celtics and Warriors’ 2022 NBA Finals rematch on Sunday, Jaylen Brown was a man on a mission.
The three-time All-Star scored nineteen points on six of twelve shots, including five of nine from beyond the arc. He performed admirably when tasked with protecting Stephen Curry as well.
The hosts were able to play at a fast pace and produce quality shots on a regular basis because they were able to string together stops.
With a strong defensive performance, constant shot blocking, and walling off drives, Golden State was able to shoot 33.3 percent from the field, including 3/11 from three-point range in the first 12 minutes.
Boston ended the first quarter on a 20-1 surge as the visitors struggled to score and committed three errors. Boston also had a 16-2 advantage in fast-break points. They led 44–22 going into the second half.
During the first session, the Celtics shot 10/16 from beyond the arc. In the history of the team, this is the fourth time they have made double-digit threes in a quarter.
The hosts restricted the Warriors to 8 points during a nearly 13-minute period that continued into the second frame.
Golden State hardly ever got an advantage or got into the paint, thanks to players like Xavier Tillman marking up against the visiting team’s perimeter players and Brown living in Curry’s jersey, which prevented him from getting easy baskets off the dribble or when away from the ball.
Beyond that, Boston was playing outstanding defense, with players running to block shots and assist defenders diving in to steal the ball. In the first half, the Celtics also limited the Warriors to two offensive rebounds and four second-chance points.
The score increased to 82-38 at halftime as Curry and company shot less than 35 percent in the first twenty-four minutes, including 3/18 from three-point range, hardly extended possessions, and coughed up the ball eight times.
Boston has its biggest halftime advantage in team history at that point.
At the half, Brown had scored the most points of any player on Golden State with 25, but no one else had reached double figures. Jayson Tatum finished with 22 points after scoring 20 points on 6/7 shooting in the second quarter.
Due to the overwhelming score and Curry’s doubtful status due to right knee bursitis, Steve Kerr began Chris Paul in place of Curry in the second half. When the third frame started, neither Draymond Green nor Klay Thompson—the two-time league MVP—were even on the visiting team’s bench.
To their credit, the Celtics maintained their concentration and strategy despite their absence. That was demonstrated by a Tatum drive that resulted in Jrue Holiday receiving the ball at the far-side wing and promptly swinging it to Derrick White, who swished a corner three.
Jaylen Brown also displayed a strong flush.
Al Horford scored his 14,000th point in his career as well. He joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Pau Gasol, and Dirk Nowitzki as the sixth player in NBA history to record at least 14,000 points, 8,400 rebounds, 3,400 assists, and 1,200 blocks in a career, according to Celtics Stats.
Due to their lengthy rotation playing most of the second half of Sunday’s blowout victory, which improved Boston’s NBA-leading record to 48-12, the hosts’ two-way domination rewarded their starters an early night.
The Celtics will now take on Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night. At 7:30 EST, the game will begin.
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