Consider the demons exorcised. In a Sunday matinee, the Boston Celtics crushed the Golden State Warriors 140-88.
Looking at the big picture, the Celtics have inarguably been the best team in the league. The numbers don’t lie. Prior to today, their record (47-12) and +10.9 net rating (121.5 offensive rating for first in NBA history, 110.6 defensive rating for third in the league) confirm that dominance. Spoiler alert: those numbers are going to be even better.
But on a game-to-game basis, there are teams that can give Boston trouble — not just this year, but seemingly always. Enter the Golden State Warriors. Call it a hangover from the 2022 Finals or the clash of play styles, but this matchup has always been tricky in the Brad Stevens era.
Most recently, back on December 19th, the four-time champions erased a 17-point lead at Chase Center only to beat Boston in overtime after some questionable (un)clutch play for the Celtics down the stretch.
For the two highest volume three-point shooting teams in the league, it started out as a shootout and ended with Boston absolutely winning at the OK Corral. In their final game of the homestand, the Celtics hit 25-of-49 from behind the arc, including Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White combining for 13-of-20. The Warriors made just 7-of-41.
However, so much of the damage was at the rim. Even without Kristaps Porzingis who is nursing a quad contusion, the Celtics attacked mismatches and pounded the paint. Whether it was Tatum or Brown taking smaller defenders off the dribble or jn the post or Al Horford and Luke Kornet taking advantage of switches and dump offs in the dunker spot, Boston outscored Golden State 30 to 24 in points in the paint in the first two quarters and outran them for the game with 42 transition points.
Brown and Tatum were both on pace for 50 points, but finished the game with 29 and 27 respectively. White had 14 points and eight assists. Payton Pritchard mopped up with 19.
With the Celtics registering the largest halftime lead (44) in franchise history, the Warriors waved the red flag, sitting Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green for the remainder of the game.
Twelve of Boston’s next fifteen games on the road. After celebrating Tatum’s seventh 19th birthday tonight, the Celtics will launch a five-game road trip out west against some playoff contenders in Cleveland, Denver, Phoenix, Portland, and Utah.
