Warriors vs. Celtics, 124-119: Golden State’s streak lives another day

The Golden State Warriors’ unbelievable undefeated streak came to an end against the Boston Celtics

The Golden State Warriors’ streak almost died. The Warriors came into TD Garden to face the Boston Celtics with a 23-0 record and with the defending NBA champs having firmly established themselves as the best team in the league. However, with no Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes due to injury, it was always going to be a tough matchup for the Warriors.

For the first half, things were undoubtedly tight throughout the period as Stephen Curry struggled mightily to find his rhythm against one of the most tenacious perimeter defenders in the league in Avery Bradley. However, it was Draymond Green stepping up and taking charge for Golden State, subsequently allowing the Warriors to go into halftime nursing a small lead.

Golden State came out of the half firing and jumped out to a double-digit lead. However, Curry picked up his fourth foul in that third quarter, thus allowing the Celtics to climb back into the thick of things, particularly early in the fourth quarter when some fantastic plays off of turnovers in transition pulled Boston level with the reigning champs and made this a back-and-forth affair down the stretch.

The Warriors and Celtics were in a dead heat through most of the fourth quarter, trading big-time made shots and untimely turnovers. After a Curry three with less than a minute left in the game and then an Isaiah Thomas lay-up to tie the game at 103-103, the Warriors squandered to chances to get a winning basket, leaving Boston less than a second to try and get a tip-in. However, they tried for a Kelly Olynyk three that wound up being a terrible effort, sending the game to overtime.

The overtime period started off quite ugly and really stayed that way. Golden State took a 108-105 lead about midway through the quarter. However, Olynyk hit a big three with just more than a minute remaining, but Curry promptly answered. Olynyk wasn’t done, though, as he responded with a lay-up to tie it at 110-110. Curry missed a three to win, giving the Cs one more possession. He missed, but Thomas missed the potential game-winner as well. The Warriors had another quick attempt at a game-winner, but the inbounds pass was no good and forced double overtime.

The second overtime was another ugly defensive struggle, with the Warriors going into the final stretch of the period up 116-113. The Celtics got a huge bucket on a fast break from Evan Turner, but Green answered for the Warriors to put them back up by three points with less than a minute on the clock. Turner came back and cut the lead to one yet again and the Warriors missed on the next possession, but Golden State came down with the rebound. This forced Boston to start fouling. The Warriors knocked down their free throws and a game-tying attempt from Jae Crowder missed, ultimately extending the Golden State streak to 24 games (or 28, depending on who you ask).

Three stars

Draymond Green finished the game with 24 points, eight assists, 11 rebounds, five blocks, and five steals on the night, registering just the 16th 5×5 game in NBA history (per Basketball Reference).

Stephen Curry finished the game with 38 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists, though he did have eight turnovers.

Kelly Olynyk ended the night with 28 points, six rebounds, three assists, three steals, and one block off of the bench for Boston.

Highlights

Odds

The Warriors were five-point favorites in this game, which resulted in a push. With two overtimes coming into play, the two teams also went over the 214-point O/U line.

Next Game

The Warriors will be in action again on Saturday, taking on the Milwaukee Bucks on the road.

The Celtics will also go back on the grind on Saturday night as they will travel south to take on the Charlotte Hornets.