SAN FRANCISCO — The Celtics came into Saturday’s 2022 NBA Finals rematch with vengeance on their minds, but the Warriors had the last laugh, defeating the best team in the league, 123-107.
The Warriors led by as many as 17 in the fourth quarter and the Celtics never came within six of the reigning champions.
Klay Thompson (34 points, 4 of 11 3-pointers) and Stephen Curry (32 points, 6 of 11 3-pointers) combined for 66 points and 10 of the Warriors’ 13 3-pointers. Jordan Poole, starting in place of an injured Andrew Wiggins, added 20 points (nine of which came from the free-throw line) on shaky 16 shots, four assists and three rebounds as Golden State went on to win its 12th home game of the season.
It’s been about six months since the Warriors’ rallied from a 2-1 hole in the Finals to win the series in six games. That disappointing loss left a bitter taste in the Celtics' mouth, with Jaylen Brown telling reporters this week that “there’s nothing more humbling.” Boston has owned this season, jumping out to a league-best 21-6 record and looking poise to make another run with their two-headed scoring monster of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Meanwhile, the Warriors have had some early-season adversity that has them sitting just above .500, with the majority of those wins coming at Chase Center.
Both teams entered Saturday refreshed. Neither had played a game since Wednesday. The Celtics were coming off a 27-point statement win over the Phoenix Suns, while the Warriors suffered a wild heartbreaker to the Utah Jazz, during which they blew a four-point lead in the final 13 seconds.
But Golden State showed yet again that the team can hang with the best of them when its locked in on both ends of the court.
Defensively, that started by focusing on Tatum, the Celtics leading scorer. With Wiggins sidelined with a strained thigh muscle (he’s scheduled to be reevaluated Monday), the Warriors had Thompson and Jonathan Kuminga be two of the main guys to take turns on Tatum. The Celtics star was held to just 10 points in the first half and 18 on 6-of-21 shooting for the entire game. Meanwhile, Brown led Boston with 31 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
The Warriors outrebounded the Celtics 53-39, and they dished out nine more assists.
Thompson finished with his second 30-plus point game of the season, scoring a team-high 34 points. He also had five rebounds and two assists. Curry added 32 going 12 for 21 from the field. He also had six rebounds and a team-high seven assists.
Kuminga added 14 points on an efficient 6-of-9 shooting off the bench that included an open corner 3. He also had five rebounds and three assists.
The Warriors improve to 12-2 at home and 14-13 overall. Why Golden State has struggled away from the Bay remains a mystery. But the team will be tested over the next two weeks as it plays six games in nine days on the road.
