Warriors vs. Celtics: Score, Highlights and Reaction from 2015 Regular Season
Even without Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes, the Golden State Warriors kept rolling with a hard-fought 124-119 double-overtime victory over the Boston Celtics that improved their perfect start this season to 24-0.
If there was ever any doubt about the Warriors' ability to handle adversity, this game was proof positive that it will take a lot to faze the defending NBA champions. They blew an 11-point third-quarter lead, were outscored by seven in the fourth quarter and gave the Celtics an opportunity to win the game at the end of regulation.
Thompson missed his second game of the season after suffering a sprained ankle in Golden State's win over Indiana on Tuesday.
The Celtics presented an excellent challenge, ranking fourth in ESPN's defensive efficiency rankings, yet Golden State managed to score 124 points, despite shooting just 39.3 percent from the floor.
One reason the Warriors were able to hold off the Celtics in the second half is because of their strong defensive play. The Celtics hit just 43 percent of their attempts, and Shaun Livingston blocked Isaiah Thomas' potential-game-winning three-point attempt at the end of the fourth quarter.
It's easy to get lost in the ridiculous offensive numbers the Warriors can put up, but everyone has to remember they are strong on both sides of the ball.
The team is able to use its defensive aptitude to set up easy scoring opportunities. One example here, per the Warriors' official Twitter account:
That defense was tested in the fourth quarter, as Boston scored 28 points, but the Warriors were able to hold the Celtics to just 16 total points over the two overtime periods.
Adjusting and adapting are what the Warriors do better than any team in the NBA right now. They haven't made all 24 of their wins this season look easy, yet the final score is always in their favor, because they can play to both their strengths and other team's strengths.
Former Grantland NBA writer extraordinaire Jason Concepcion summed up Golden State's abilities nicely:
Stephen Curry didn't have a great game, but he did finish with a game-high 38 points, but hit just 9-of-27 from the floor with Avery Bradley primarily guarding him.
The Warriors caught a huge break in overtime when Bradley collected his sixth foul, as he led the Boston starters with 19 points. Kelly Olynyk had a team-high 28 off the bench for the Celtics.
Per ESPN's Michele Steele, speaking after the game, Curry did admit that his energy level after playing 47 minutes on Friday is starting to get tested:
B/R's Kevin Ding noted the problems Golden State had shooting from three-point range when taking out Curry's 6-of-13 effort beyond the arc in the game:
Draymond Green was the star of the show for Golden State, rebounding from one of his worst offensive games against the Pacers with 24 points, eight assists and a season-high five blocks.
Per NBA TV on Twitter, Green's performance was one for the record books:
An underrated storyline for this game was on the sidelines with the coaches. Celtics head coach Brad Stevens (39) looks like a wily veteran compared to Golden State's Luke Walton (35), but NFL Network's Rich Eisen still pointed out how young the duo really is:
"Is Walton v. Stevens the first matchup in NBA history with both coaches getting carded at the door?
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) December 12, 2015"
If there was any doubt how important Golden State's streak has gotten, ESPN's Ethan Strauss noted how much coverage was in the TD Garden on Friday night:
This felt like the game that would end Golden State's improbable start to the season. The Warriors were playing the sixth game of their current seven-game road trip, the Celtics had won four of their last five games and seemed to get stronger as the game went on.
Yet in the end, the Warriors did enough to force overtime and eventually used their offensive prowess and opportunistic defense to knock off the Celtics. With the NBA-record 33-game win streak in sight, the only thing that can stop the Warriors is themselves on a bad night.
But as the Warriors proved on Friday, even an off night isn't enough to knock them from the ranks of the unbeaten just yet.
Post-Game Reaction
After the Celtics' loss, per ESPN's Chris Forsberg, Stevens didn't want to hear anything about a good or great loss:
In true coach fashion, Stevens wasn't dwelling on the defeat, even though he acknowledged his team can get better, per the Celtics' official Twitter account:
On the winning side, per NBA TV, Golden State hero Green said his team isn't feeling any heat because of the 28-game winning streak:
Curry, while not going so far as to say he isn't having fun, did acknowledge that this game took a lot out of him, per NBA TV:
The Warriors don't have any time to think about tired legs with a game at Milwaukee on Saturday. It's the last stop on their seven-game road trip before five straight at the Oracle Arena, including a Christmas Day showdown against Cleveland. Should they top the Bucks on Saturday, the Warriors will become the first team to every complete an undefeated seven-game road trip.
