Klay Thompson, Steph Curry combine for 66 points in Warriors’ win over Celtics
SAN FRANCISCO — The Celtics came into Saturday’s 2022 NBA Finals rematch ready to wreak vengeance, but the Warriors got the last laugh, defeating the best team in the league 123-107.
“That’s a statement win right there,” Draymond Green said as he headed to the locker room after the win.
Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry combined for 66 points and 10 of the Warriors’ 13 3-pointers, while Jordan Poole, starting in place of an injured Andrew Wiggins, added 20 points (nine of which came from the free throw line) on an overall off shooting night en route to Golden State’s 12th home win of the season.
“Definitely one of our better wins of the year,” coach Steve Kerr said after the game. “We competed and did a really good job defensively, tried to make things as tough as possible for them, and we gutted it out.”
It’s been about six months since the Warriors’ rallied from a 2-1 hole in the Finals to win the series in six games. That disappointing loss left a bitter taste for the Celtics, with Jaylen Brown telling reporters this week that “there’s nothing more humbling” than being beaten at the highest level.
Boston has been hot to start the season, jumping out to a league-best 21-6 record while looking poised to make another summer run.
Meanwhile, the Warriors have dealt with some early-season adversity that has them sitting just above .500, with the majority of those wins coming at Chase Center.
Both teams entered Saturday refreshed. Neither had played a game since Wednesday. The Celtics were coming off a 27-point statement win over the Phoenix Suns, while the Warriors suffered a wild heartbreaker to the Utah Jazz, during which they blew a four-point lead in the final 13 seconds.
But Golden State showed yet again that the team can hang with the best of them when it’s locked in on both ends of the court.
“We came out with a lot of energy,” Poole said. “We knew that we had a big task ahead of us and got locked in, looked at the scouting report, and got a big win.”
Defensively, that started by focusing on Jayson Tatum. With Wiggins sidelined with a strained thigh muscle (he’s scheduled to be reevaluated Monday), Thompson and Jonathan Kuminga were the two main guys tasked with hampering Tatum.
Thompson blocked Tatum within the first two minutes of the game, setting a tone for what was to come for the Celtics star. Tatum scored only 10 points in the first half before finishing the night with 18 points on 6 of 21 shooting.
Limiting Tatum was a “collective effort,” Thompson acknowledged. Looking back, the Warriors star said the early-game block on Tatum might’ve been his “favorite moment” of the night. Meanwhile, Curry said Thompson’s defensive performance against Boston was reminiscent of his pre-injury self.
“He made plays on both ends,” Curry said. “Offensively, the game was connected. When you’re locked in defensively, you’re worried about the things that impact the flow of the game and your matchup and your challenge there, and usually you’re rewarded with looks and good rhythm and flow on offense and it’s just about making shots. We know he can do that. So it was great to see everything connect on both ends for him and for our team.”
Thompson finished with his second 30-plus point game of the season, scoring a team-high 34 points while shooting 14-for-26 from the field and 4-for-11 from deep. He also had five rebounds and two assists. Curry added 32 going 12-for-21 from the field and 6-for-11 from 3. He also had six rebounds and a team-high seven assists.
Kuminga added 14 points on an efficient 6 of 9 shooting off the bench that included an open corner 3. He also had five rebounds and three assists.
Meanwhile, Brown led the Celtics with 21 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
The Warriors outrebounded Boston 53-39, and they dished out nine more assists than their opponent.
After the game, there was a general feeling among the Warriors that they needed a win like Saturday’s.
“Especially after Utah,” Thompson said. “That was a terrible experience. To kind of respond the way that we did felt great. We were able to flush that one in Salt Lake after that collapse, so it is always nice to respond with a great performance, and we did that tonight.”
The Warriors improve to 12-2 at home and 14-13 overall. Why Golden State has struggled outside the Bay remains a mystery. But the team will be tested over the next two weeks as it plays six games in nine days on the road.
“It’s gonna be a tough trip,” Kerr said. “A lot of good teams but a great challenge for us and we feel like this [win over Boston] should give us a little confidence and hopefully it carries over.”