Despite the gulf that separates the two ball clubs in terms of their standing in their respective conferences, the Golden State Warriors continue to have the Boston Celtics’ number, the Dubs forcing overtime after falling into a 17-point hole to win it 132-126.
Strong early play from the Celtics in the first three quarters saw Boston take their foot off the gas in the fourth at the same time Stephen Curry got hot for Golden State. On a night only Derrick White (30 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks) was connecting from deep (7-of-18) among the starters, only Jaylen Brown (28 points, 8 boards, 7 assists) was effective from the floor (10-of-22) overall.
Reserve forward Sam Hauser went 0-of-7 from deep in one of the worst outings of his career and the bench as a whole chipped in just 27 points, with a Neemias Queta double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) making up much of that tally.
Celtics Lab 232: Celebrating Boston's sizzling start with Max Lederman – and a Festivus for the rest of us https://t.co/l7tKrMjpx4 pic.twitter.com/JwepnpGROn
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 19, 2023
The loss drops Boston to 20-6 and a half-game lead over the Milwaukee Bucks, with the Minnesota Timberwolves now owning the best record in the league at 20-5.
The first game of the Celtics’ West Coast swing, Boston now heads up the state to face the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday evening.
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