BOSTON — A quick glimpse at the box score would suggest Stephen Curry got the better of the Boston Celtics.
Those who witnessed Friday night’s double-overtime thriller at TD Garden, however, would tell you quite a different story.
Curry finished with a game-high 38 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in the Golden State Warriors’ streak-extending win over the Celtics. Yet the reigning NBA MVP had arguably his worst game of the 2015-16 campaign, needing nearly 47 minutes of playing time to rack up those points and shooting a season-low 33 percent from the floor while committing a game-high eight turnovers.
Truth be told, Boston’s tenacious defense gave Curry trouble all night. Celtics guard Avery Bradley hounded the NBA’s leading scorer for most of regulation before fouling out early in the first overtime period.
“He’s been tough the last three years we’ve played against him,” Curry said of Bradley. “… I know he doesn’t like it, but I was happy when he got that sixth foul.”
Curry wasn’t out of the woods yet, though. Evan Turner took the torch in overtime, limiting the normally dominant point guard to just six points in the final two overtime periods by making plays like this:
“I thought we were underneath him the whole day,” head coach Brad Stevens said of his team’s defensive effort on Curry. “… Avery fouled out, (but) Evan did a terrific job, too. I mean, it takes a community to guard him. It’s not just one guy.”
Curry easily could have taken over with fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson sidelined due to an ankle injury. But despite the final score and Curry’s bloated stat line, he wasn’t the one who beat the Celtics on Friday night.
“The players that are true superstars in this league — all you can do is make it tougher,” Warriors interim coach Luke Walton said. “They’re going to get their numbers no matter what happens, but you just try to make it tough. And Boston made it tough on Steph (Friday night).”
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
