Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry combined for 66 points on 10 3-pointers to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 123-107 victory over the Boston Celtics in a rematch of last season’s NBA Finals. Here’s what you need to know:
- Thompson had a game-high 34 points, a career-high against the Celtics, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block on 4-of-11 from long range.
- The Warriors have won six of their last 10 games.
- All-Star Andrew Wiggins was sidelined for Golden State with right thigh tightness.
Backstory
This is their first matchup since the Warriors defeated the Celtics in six games in the NBA Finals last season. Jaylen Brown paced Boston with 31 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and one steal, shooting 13-of-23 from the field. Jayson Tatum struggled in the loss, scoring 18 points on 6-of-21 shooting.
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Curry went for 32 points, seven assists, six rebounds and one block on 6-of-11 shooting from 3-point range. Golden State outrebounded the Celtics 53-39, as Boston shot just 12-of-40 from the 3-point line. Warriors improve to 14-13 with the win and the Celtics fall to 21-6, still a league-best.
What’s it mean for the Warriors?
Draymond Green was calling it a ‘statement win’ as he walked down the tunnel 10 minutes after the final buzzer. Golden State needed it for a potential kickstart. They entered 13-13, in a below average tier of the muddled West. They’ve found some rotation answers recently, but needed a punctuation point to believe maybe they’re gaining some traction. An ABC end-to-end win over Boston qualifies, especially without Wiggins, their best wing defender. It also maintains a mental edge over the Celtics, if you believe in such things, should the two meet in the Finals again.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he likes where they’re headed, “The guys off the bench are starting to play and assume their roles. Our defense seems to be getting better. All that points in a good direction.” — Slater
Evaluating the Celtics’ performance
The Celtics locker room tends to be loose after a game, but the silence was deafening in the Chase center Saturday night. Most of the players wouldn’t admit it, but Brown conceded after the game that he had this one circled for some time. The Celtics have transformed this season while the Warriors have been endlessly erratic. Everything looks like it’s changed.
But on this night, they were right back in June. Boston couldn’t move the ball without a blue jersey blocking their path. Even when they created open shots, they didn’t fall. This wasn’t their night, even if it has been their season. — Weiss
Highlight of the game
🙌 The Chef is cooking!
29 points and counting for Steph Curry on ABC pic.twitter.com/ODFik0KqbH
— NBA (@NBA) December 11, 2022
Key stat
With the win, the Warriors are tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the best home record in the NBA (12-2).
Required reading
- Thompson: Jordan Poole’s new test — life as a known commodity in the NBA
- How Celtics’ role players are reinforcing Joe Mazzulla’s spacing system
(Photo: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty)