Warriors Consider Clutch Performance Vs. Celtics ‘Statement’ Win

The Golden State Warriors handed the Boston Celtics their second loss of the 2024-25 campaign Wednesday night at TD Garden.

For a game in early November, it definitely felt like a postseason matchup, even though the Celtics were shorthanded with Jaylen Brown missing a third straight game. Warriors forward Buddy Hield said it most certainly was monumental win, according to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater.

“What do you think? It’s a statement,” Hield said, according to Slater. “If we don’t win, everybody says, ‘Oh, they ain’t played nobody.’ You gotta come make a statement, right?”

Hield scored 16 points, including a 3-point dagger to give Golden State a seven-point lead with 47 seconds left in regulation. He also collected six rebounds in 29 minutes off the bench for the Warriors.

Golden State led by as many as 14, but the Celtics stormed back and scored 41 points in the third quarter after recording just 40 in the first half. Boston hit 10 shots from beyond the arc, including four from Jayson Tatum, who recorded 17 of his game-high 32 points in the frame.

Steph Curry led the Warriors with 27 points on 8-for-17 shooting, including going 4-for-9 from downtown. The Golden State star also grabbed seven boards and dished nine helpers to go along with four steals.

The Celtics were held to 36 points in the paint and just eight fast-break points compared to 52 and 17, respectively, for the Warriors. With the loss, Boston fell to 7-2 on the season.