If Jayson Tatum, like many Celtics followers, had Olympic revenge on his thoughts coming into his showdown with Steve Kerr, he left TD Backyard disillusioned.
The Boston star recovered from his slowest begin of the season to complete with 32 factors on 10-of-19 taking pictures (5-for-9 from 3-point vary), however he made simply three subject targets within the fourth quarter because the Celtics squandered a late lead and misplaced to Kerr’s Golden State Warriors 118-112 on Wednesday.
Crew USA headliner Stephen Curry powered Golden State with 27 factors, 9 assists, seven rebounds, 4 steals and a block at hand Boston its first regulation loss. The Celtics held a seven-point benefit halfway by means of the fourth quarter however had been outscored 30-17 over the ultimate six minutes.
“It took us a short time to get adjusted to (the Warriors’ physicality),” mentioned Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, whose group scored simply 40 first-half factors and trailed by double digits within the third quarter. “As soon as we did, we executed very well. It simply got here down to some possessions on the finish.”
The defeat snapped a streak of 14 straight Celtics victories with out Jaylen Brown, who missed his third straight sport with a hip flexor pressure. Boston dropped to 7-2 and can host the Brooklyn Nets on Friday.
Tatum’s Paris benchings had been high of thoughts for Celtics followers, who booed Kerr – head coach of each the Warriors and the nationwide group – with authority throughout pregame warmups. However with Golden State devoting additional defensive assets to stopping Tatum, one in every of Boston’s different Olympians carried the early scoring load.
Derrick White (26 factors) hit every of his first three 3-pointers and drew a foul on one other, exploiting the Warriors’ frequent double groups directed towards Tatum. His scorching taking pictures helped the Celtics vault out to a 14-3 lead.
However from that time on, Boston struggled to resolve an aggressive Golden State protection that got here in ranked second within the NBA in defensive ranking and fourth in steals and blocks per sport. A six-minute scoreless drought ensued, and the Celtics’ double-digit lead rapidly evaporated.
Tatum, the NBA’s high first-quarter scorer coming into Wednesday, didn’t have some extent within the first 11 minutes earlier than closing out the primary with a fast 5-0 run.
The Warriors then proceeded to double up Boston within the second quarter, outscoring the Celtics 32-16 and shutting out the primary half with a 9-0 run capped by an off-balance, second-chance financial institution shot by Moses Moody that beat the buzzer.
After averaging 37.5 factors within the first quarter over their first eight video games, the Celtics took practically 22 minutes to achieve that mark. The Warriors led 51-40 at halftime regardless of getting simply six factors from Curry, one of many solely All-Star-caliber gamers left on their retooled roster.
The 2-time NBA MVP was impactful as a facilitator (six first-half assists) and defender (three steals), nevertheless, and he opened the second half with two fast buckets as Golden State stretched its result in 14.
“They’re bodily, so that they pressure you to combat by means of house, and so they have energetic fingers,” Mazzulla mentioned. “Within the first half, they received a ton of deflections. They had been in a position to get some stuff there. However I assumed we did a greater job of dealing with the physicality within the second half.”
Boston lastly started to make some offensive headway within the third quarter by means of improved 3-point taking pictures and energetic work on the offensive glass. The Celtics hit 10 threes within the body, together with 4 by Tatum, who scored 17 factors within the third.
“I assumed he did nice,” Mazzulla mentioned. “I assumed he gave the sport what it wanted, whether or not it was passing, whether or not it was screening, whether or not it was ending. Fifty % from the sector, 50% from three, received to the free-throw line – I assumed he dealt with it properly. I assumed he took on the problem of the physicality, modified up how he was attacking, discovered his teammates and made pictures when he wanted to.”
Boston closed the quarter with 3-point makes by Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser (sandwiched round one by Jonathan Kuminga) and trailed by only one, 82-81, coming into the fourth. The Celtics additionally held a 9-2 edge in offensive rebounding throughout their 41-point third-quarter eruption, with 4 of their triples following offensive boards.
One other three by White two minutes into the fourth quarter put Boston forward for the primary time for the reason that 8:00 mark of the second. Heart Neemias Queta adopted with a pair of rim-rocking dunks – together with a thunderous putback off a missed Hauser three – after which swatted away a Curry layup. The versatile 7-footer obtained a rousing ovation as he headed to the bench.
Queta made his presence felt down low for Boston, notching 14 factors, eight rebounds (5 offensive) and two blocks in his second profession begin. He was a team-best plus-13 within the loss, the one Celtics starter to complete with a optimistic plus/minus.
During the last 5 video games, Boston has outscored its opponents by 64 factors with Queta on the ground.
“Neemie did an excellent job simply getting us offensive rebounds, getting us additional possessions to get out in transition,” mentioned Mazzulla, who trusted Queta to protect the a lot shiftier Curry on the perimeter on a number of possessions. “Typically it’s only a matter of simply executing and making the shot. So I assumed we missed some 2-on-1 one-reads within the first half. We discovered these within the second half, and it gave us an opportunity.”
However the Celtics couldn’t maintain their late lead. Curry reeled off 10 factors in a three-minute span, together with three free throws after drawing a controversial foul on White. Kevon Looney transformed a pair of putbacks off Warriors misses, and Buddy Hield hit a nook three to place Golden State up seven with 46.3 seconds remaining.
“He’s one of many biggest gamers the sport’s ever seen,” White mentioned of Curry. “It takes a complete group to protect him, not only one man.”
Al Horford responded with a 3 to chop it to 111-107, however a string of late free throws allowed Golden State to drag away.
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