BOSTON — Stephen Curry put to rest any concern about his health from the moment he stepped on the court Friday night as he put on a vintage performance, dropping 41 points and nailing seven 3-pointers.
Curry and Klay Thompson led the Warriors on a 10-0 run during a hard-fought fourth quarter en route to the Warriors' 107-97 win over the Celtics.
Curry was so impressive that a faint but noticeable “M-V-P” chant started at TD Garden when he shot free throws in the game’s final seconds
The lead changed four times in the final 12 minutes of Game 5 of the NBA Finals, and the Warriors managed to hold on to even the series series before it returns to the West Coast.
Despite playing through pain after injuring his foot while scrambling for a loose ball in Game 3, Curry was again the Warriors’ best player on the court. The Celtics smothered Curry with double teams but he still found a way to score and make plays.
Curry was as animated as ever throughout the game. Celebrating a shot from downtown by trash-talking Celtics fans. He also jumped near an official in frustration when they missed a foul call on one of his baskets.
This was Curry’s 13th 30-plus point playoff game, which tied him with Kobe Bryant for the eighth most in league history.
Porous perimeter defense by the Warriors allowed the Celtics to go 15 for 38 from 3-point range, with some of those attempts uncontested. Meanwhile, the Warriors, embodying an air-raid offense, shot 15 for 43 from downtown.
With the Warriors playing from behind in the series, coach Steve Kerr opted to go small at the start, inserting Otto Porter Jr. in for Kevon Looney as a way to spread the floor.
The Warriors started the game out of sync before settling in. An irate Kerr argued nearly every call before he was slapped with a technical foul in the second quarter as the Warriors showed a fierceness not seen in Game 3 loss.
Jordan Poole, who has struggled in this series save for the second half of Game 2, found his offensive rhythm as he helped carry the Warriors at the beginning of the second quarter when Curry was on the bench. Poole hit back-to-back shots to open the second on a 5-0 run, forcing the Celtics to call a timeout. He screamed at the green-and-white-peppered crowd before joining his team.
Poole finished with 14 points off the bench. Thompson finished with 18 points.
Draymond Green again played like a shell of his former self while the TD Garden crowd showered him with boos and profanity-laced chants. In 32 minutes, he finished with eight rebounds and eight assists while going 1 for 7 from the field for two points.
Kerr even pulled Green for a stretch of the fourth quarter, option to go without him for nearly four minutes. It worked, as Golden State turned a four-point deficit into a three-point lead with him off the floor.
Jayson Tatum finished with 23 points, Brown had 21 and Smart added 18. Robert Williams III, who’s been playing through a left knee injury, had 12 rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
The Warriors and Celtics are knotted up at 2-2 as the best-of-seven series shifts back to San Francisco, with Game 5 on Monday.
The Warriors have been nearly unbeatable this postseason at Chase Center, where they possess a 10-1 playoff record. Their one home loss came at the hands of the Celtics in Game 1.
