Jayson Tatum had a game-high 34 points and grabbed 19 rebounds to help the Boston Celtics defeat the visiting Golden State Warriors 121-118 in overtime Thursday night in a matchup of teams that met in last year’s NBA Finals.
Al Horford added 20 points and 10 rebounds for Boston, which outscored Golden State 15-12 in OT to extend its winning streak to eight games. Marcus Smart (18), Jaylen Brown (16), Robert Williams (14) and Malcolm Brogdon (14) also scored in double figures for Boston. Williams added 11 rebounds.
Steph Curry had 29 points and seven assists for Golden State, which won last year’s title by beating Boston in six games. Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole each tossed in 24 points and Andrew Wiggins scored 20 for the Warriors, who received 11 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists from Draymond Green.
Brown returned to action after missing Boston’s last three games because of groin tightness and made a 3-pointer that tied the game at 106-106 with 18.1 seconds remaining in regulation. Until that point Boston had trailed throughout the second half.
The game went to OT after Curry missed a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds on the clock, and, following a timeout, Brown’s 3-point attempt at the buzzer was off the mark.
An 8-0 run gave the Celtics a 118-111 lead in OT. Golden State had a chance to force a second overtime, but Poole missed a half-court shot at the buzzer.
Golden State had a 26-25 lead after one quarter and led 55-54 at halftime thanks to a half-court shot from Curry that beat the first-half buzzer. The Celtics outscored the Warriors 13-2 at the start of the second to take a 10-point lead — the largest lead in the half.
Tatum (3 for 11 from the field) and Brown (1 for 6) were limited to 16 points in the first half.
Golden State increased its lead to 89-82 by outscoring Boston 34-28 in the third. The Warriors had an 11-point lead (85-74) following two Curry free throws with 2:12 left in the quarter.
It was the second meeting between the teams this season. Golden State beat Boston 123-107 on Dec. 10.
The loss dropped Golden State’s road record to 5-18.
-Field Level Media
