Jayson Tatum, Celtics Cruise Past Warriors After Stephen Curry Injury
The Boston Celtics defeated the host Golden State Warriors 110-88 on Wednesday at San Francisco's Chase Center.
Celtics wing Jaylen Brown and forward Jayson Tatum led Boston with 26 points apiece on a night where Boston held Golden State to 51 total points over the first, second and fourth quarters.
Warriors guard Stephen Curry left after just 14 minutes because of left foot soreness. He appeared to suffer the injury after Celtics guard Marcus Smart dove for a loose ball and landed on Curry's left ankle and foot.
Smart, whose eight assists were a game-high, scored his 20 points on an efficient 8-of-12 clip (4-of-7 from three-point range).
Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins, who was questionable with an illness, sat for the Dubs. Golden State guard Jordan Poole led all scorers with 29 points.
Klay Thompson had an off-night, shooting 8-of-24 and making just one of his 11 three-pointers. He finished with 18 points.
The Celtics defense was tremendous, with Robert Williams III blocking four shots. Golden State made just 37.2 percent of its field goals and 11 of 48 three-pointers. Boston also out-rebounded the Warriors 53-38.
Golden State did break through in the third quarter with 37 points. Poole, who had just two points in the first half, dropped 19 in that frame to help cut the Celtics' lead to 79-69 entering the fourth.
Boston put the game away with a 9-0 run midway through the fourth that gave the team a 95-76 edge. Celtics guard Payton Pritchard scored all 10 of his points in the final quarter.
The 42-28 Celtics have won six of their last seven games and sit fourth in the Eastern Conference.
The 47-23 Warriors' four-game win streak snapped in defeat. They are now one game behind the Memphis Grizzlies for second in the Western Conference.
Notable Performances
Celtics PF Jayson Tatum: 26 points, 12 rebounds
Celtics G/F Jaylen Brown: 26 points, 7 rebounds
Celtics PG Marcus Smart: 20 points, 8 assists
Warriors SG Jordan Poole: 29 points
Warriors SG Klay Thompson: 18 points
Warriors C Kevon Looney: 9 points, 8 rebounds
What's Next?
Boston will visit the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on Friday at 10 p.m. ET. Golden State will stay home to host the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday at 8:30 p.m.
