Key Moment
The Celtics opened up their five-game road trip out West with a victory Tuesday night thanks to a critical 10-0 run midway through the final period.
It took Boston only two minutes and seven seconds to rattle off 10 straight points as they buckled down with staunch defense that was ignited by Grant Williams.
Williams also opened up the scoring run with a layup that followed an offensive rebound, but his defensive play just seconds later may have been even more significant. The versatile forward, who has mastered the rule of verticality, utilized that rule to perfection while also blocking Kelly Oubre Jr.’s attempted dunk at the rim at the 5:37 mark.
That was Williams’ second block of the night, and it was critical because it led directly to a 3-pointer by Kemba Walker at the other end of the court. Walker canned his triple just nine seconds after the block.
Jaylen Brown would go on to score the final five points of the run via a putback layup that turned into a three-point play, and then a resounding slam at the 4:00 mark. Brown’s jam in transition, which followed a turnover by Oubre Jr., put an exclamation point on the end of Boston’s game-changing run.
The Celtics led 106-96 following Brown’s slam and that’s a cushion they would need in order to close out the win. Golden State made a run during the final minutes, at one point clawing back to within three with a minute remaining, but the Celtics made their free throws down the stretch to close out the win.
Key Player
Five Celtics scored in double-figures during Tuesday’s win over the Golden State Warriors. Not surprisingly, Jayson Tatum led them all.
Tatum dropped a team-best 27 points and did so in very efficient fashion. He canned nine of his 19 shots for a 47.4 percent clip, four of his 10 shot from long distance, and five of his six free throws. The All-NBA wing narrowly missed a double-double, as he also hauled in nine boards to go along with three assists on the night.
Boston outscored Golden State by 13 points while Tatum was on the floor for his 38-plus minutes of action.
Box Score Nuggets
- Grant Williams scored a season-best 15 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting performance.
- Boston doubled up Golden State in the offensive rebounding department, 12-6.
- Stephen Curry scored a game-high 38 points.
- Three players – Daniel Theis, Draymond Green and Curry – tied for the game high in rebounds with 11 apiece.
- Curry narrowly missed a triple-double, as he also led the game in assists with eight.
- Tristan Thompson scored 13 points to go along with eight boards.
- Each team led by at least 10 points during the game.
- Jeff Teague contributed nine points off the bench on 3-for-6 shooting.
- Jaylen Brown logged his third double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
- Curry’s three steals matched Boston’s team total.
Quote of the Night
“I thought our guys found a way and it was very encouraging. We played a good fourth quarter after they cut it to one.”
Brad Stevens on grabbing a win to start the West Coast trip
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