Eighth consecutive victory for Mazzulla’s team, with Tatum (34 points) and Horford (20) more decisive than Curry (121-118).
Jayson Tatum (34 points, 19 rebounds, six assists) and Al Horford (20 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks) led the operations in overtime for the Celtics to take a small revenge against the Warriors (121-118) after the painful defeat in the last NBA Finals. The eighth consecutive victory allows the team of Joe Mazzulla consolidate in the leadership of the Eastern Conference (34-12). For the Warriors, who drop to eighth place in the West (22-23), Stephen Curry He scored 29 points with six triples, one of them from beyond midfield at the halftime buzzer.
“In the first game (of the season) we might have been a little tense trying to get even,” Tatum recalled of the loss against the Californians last December. “They are one of the best teams in history, a challenge on both sides of the court but, as a competitor, you want to play games against the best,” added the forward.
Golden State entered the matchup with a shorter-than-usual quintet and the Celtics made them pay the bet by charging the game on their two tall men, Robert Williams III and Horford, who accounted for eight of his team’s first 17 points.
change of dynamics
Dominance in the paint allowed the Celtics to navigate the lead through the first half despite an early shooting wreck by Tatum, including seven turnovers, and his partner Jaylen Brown (16 points).
The Warriors’ backcourt not only kept Boston’s leading men at bay, but began with a devastating inspiration from the outside line, with Curry and Klay Thompson signing four triples each at halftime.
Curry’s aforementioned genius from the middle of the track left the defending champions ahead (55-54) and changed the dynamic. Golden State went on to control with advantages of up to 11 points. The Celtics, wounded in their pride, reacted pushed by their 19,000 fans and forced a tight finish despite the fact that they did not stop making childish mistakes.
An agonizing 3-pointer from Brown, his only one of the night, tied it at 106 before Curry, well defended by Horford, missed a shot at the buzzer that would have prevented overtime.
With additional life, the Celtics led the way to victory with consecutive three-pointers by Horford and Tatum that put them with a seven-point lead that seemed unattainable with 86 seconds left. Boston, however, returned to make several gifts to its rival and Jordan Poole He had a remote chance of equalizing on a missed shot from his field in the last second.
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