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Clutch Curry Delivers as Dubs Beat Celtics

Established 1946 | 7-time NBA Champions

Have yourself a game Mr. Curry! The 2018 All-Star captain delivered in the clutch, lifting the Dubs to a 109-105 win over the Celtics in an epic Saturday evening matchup on Warriors Ground.

TEAM LEADERS

With the game tied at 95-95, Stephen Curry secured a defensive rebound, dribbled the ball up court and pulled up for the 29-footer from straight on … BANG! The 3-pointer, his eighth of the game, put the Dubs in front and the Warriors made enough free throws the rest of the way to secure the win over the number one team in the Eastern Conference.

EPIC SHOWDOWN ON WARRIORS GROUND
Curry finished with a season-high 49 points in an epic point guard battle with Boston’s Kyrie Irving, who made his first seven shot attempts and finished with 37 points. But Curry got the last laugh, scoring 18 points in the third quarter and 15 more in the fourth, including 13 points in the final two minutes of the game. Curry shot 16-for-24 from the field and was 8-for-13 on threes, his fifth straight game with at least five made 3-pointers.

Seemingly every made shot by Curry was a big one, as the game was within three points for all but six possessions over the final 5:49 of the game. Boston played the Warriors tough, as they normally do having one each of their prior two trips to Oracle Arena, but Curry delivered when it mattered most to conclude this week’s 3-0 homestand.

DEFENSIVE PLAY OF THE GAME
Before Curry’s big shot, Kevin Durant came through with a huge play on defense. After tying the game on one end of the floor with a free throw, Durant blocked an Al Horford shot attempt at the rim, and the Dubs eventually forced a shotclock violation. The block, his only one of the game, was his biggest play of a game in which he finished with 20 points and nine rebounds.

THE DIFFERENCE
As critical as Curry’s closing performance was, it was the Dubs’ effort in the second and third quarters that had the team in position to win in the first place. After allowing Boston to shoot 60 percent in the first quarter, the Dubs’ erased their 10-point deficit with a 10-0 run to open the second period, although Boston rallied right back with an 11-2 spurt to go up by nine. But the Dubs tightened the screws on defense and held the Celtics to just 36 points total over the second and third quarters – one point fewer than their first quarter output.

UP NEXT
After going 3-0 at home this week, the Dubs head out on the road for a three-game trip that opens on Tuesday against the Jazz. This will be the Dubs’ second of four games against Utah this season. In their first meeting on Dec. 27, the Dubs – playing without Stephen Curry – used a big third quarter to get past the Jazz, 126-101, at Oracle Arena.