The Boston Celtics won the third game of the NBA Finals by using overwhelming force.
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart scored a combined 77 points to lead the Boston Celtics to a 116-100 win and a decisive rebounding advantage of 16 against the Golden State Warriors in Game 2.
As Game 4 of the series is set to begin on Fri at 9 p.m. ET in Boston, the Celtics have a 2-1 series lead. ET.
Warrior’s Stephen Curry scored 31 points but departed the game with 2 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter due to what seemed to be a foot injury.
Steph Curry Lead The Warriors Against The Boston Celtics
There will likely be no more word on Golden State’s health until Thursday. In Golden State’s win, Klay Thompson scored 25 points to help the team get back on track. Draymond Green, whose ferocity was a key factor in the Warriors’ triumph on Sunday, was forced to leave the game after 35 minutes due to foul trouble. He finished with 2 points and 4 rebounds.
Green said after the defeat, “I was soft.”
In case anybody had any doubts that the Celtics could match the intensity that the Warriors brought to Game 2, Boston put them to rest in the first quarter. In the opening eight minutes, the Celtics outplayed the Warriors 16-3 and grabbed as many rebounds as the Warriors had in the whole game. Robert Williams III led the way with ten rebounds, 8 points, 4 blocks, and three steals. Brown scored 17 of the 26 points (on 6-for-9 shooting, including 3-for-4 from deep) during the first quarter by attacking Green off the pass and rising above him from the outside.
The Boston Celtics scored five consecutive points just before halftime to extend their advantage to 12. The quantity may have been larger. In the opening 24 minutes, the Celtics shot 57% from the perimeter and 44% from long for 68 points, but they also committed eight turnovers, leading to 14 Warriors points.
