The Golden State Warriors might not have looked like the best team in basketball Sunday night, but they still were too much for the Boston Celtics to handle.
The Celtics hung with the Western Conference-leading Warriors for the duration and trailed by just three with less than 10 seconds to play, but ultimately fell just short in a 114-111 loss.
TAKE WHAT THEY GIVE
Understandably wary of the Warriors’ ability to make it rain from 3-point range, the Celtics placed an added emphasis on defending along the perimeter. That strategy drastically cut down Golden State’s success from three, but it left Boston highly vulnerable inside. The Warriors took full advantage of this, driving to the rim all night without much resistance.
Golden State’s devastating backcourt duo of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for just four triples but still managed to pile up points, combining for 53 in the win. Thompson, who went off for 37 points in one quarter Friday night, led all scorers with 31, while Curry added 11 assists for his fourth double-double in five games.
CURRY CONTROVERSY
The Celtics should have trailed by just four at halftime, but a controversial call in the closing seconds of the first half allowed the Warriors to add to that cushion. Curry heaved up a prayer of a 3-pointer from halfcourt as time expired, and it missed its mark by a mile. The officials ruled that James Young had fouled Curry in the act of shooting, however, sending the MVP candidate to the line for three shots. Curry buried all three, sending Golden State into the break up seven.
Brad Stevens certainly was not happy with the call, and the coach came came close to drawing a technical foul as he reamed out referee Scott Wall.
SHORTHANDED C’S
The Celtics were without Kelly Olynyk (ankle) and Marcus Smart (family death) for the contest, resulting in a big bump in minutes for Gerald Wallace and Phil Pressey. Both made the most of their playing time, with Pressey equaling his season-high with nine points to go along with four assists and four rebounds, and Wallace finishing with six points, three rebounds and a steal.
That point total might not jump off the page, but it’s important to realize that Wallace had scored just eight points all season entering Sunday.
Tyler Zeller also was strong off the bench with 15 points and five rebounds in 21 minutes, and Jared Sullinger paced the Celtics with 26 points and nine boards. Evan Turner came close to triple-double territory with 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Up next: Boston’s road trip continues Monday in Salt Lake City, where the Celtics will take on the Utah Jazz in the second end of a back-to-back.
Thumbnail photo via Lance Iversen/USA TODAY Sports Images
