The Warriors went cold at the wrong time and the Celtics took advantage by getting hot from the perimeter to hand the Dubs a 120-108 defeat on Thursday in Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals.
The Warriors had a 15-point lead late in the third quarter, but Boston opened the final period with a 9-0 run and continued to pour it on from there, making their first seven 3-point attempts of the quarter on the way to stealing a series-opening win on the road.
Stephen Curry scored a game-high 34 points and Andrew Wiggins had 12 of his 20 points in the third quarter, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a disastrous fourth quarter for the Dubs.
TEAM LEADERS
STEPH STARTS WITH A SPLASH
Stephen Curry didn’t make his first shot of the game, but he caught fire immediately after. After Kevon Looney rebounded a Curry miss, he found the two-time MVP moments after for his first 3-pointer of the game. Curry would make six consecutive 3-pointers before missing a halfcourt heave as time expired on the first quarter. Curry had 21 points in the quarter, setting an NBA Finals record for threes in a quarter.
SPLASH PARTY ON BOTH SIDES
Curry wasn’t the only making threes. Boston’s first four made shots were 3-pointers and seven Celtics players combined to make 21 treys on 41 attempts (51.2 percent). The Warriors made 19 3-pointers of their own, including four by Otto Porter Jr. and three by Klay Thompson, who in the process passed LeBron James for the second most 3-pointers in NBA playoffs history. Thompson now has 434 career postseason treys, trailing only his fellow Splash Brother, who hit seven threes in Game 1 to push his playoff career total to 537.
The game was defined by perimeter shooting, and at no time was that more evident than the third quarter when four straight possessions resulted in 3-pointers. Jordan Poole gave the Dubs a 14-point advantage with his lone splash of the game, and Derrick White answered with one of his five threes in the game. Porter responded with his fourth make on his fourth 3-point attempt before Al Horford came back with one of his six 3-pointers in the game.
THIRD QUARTER DUBS
A four-point lead at the end of the first quarter turned into a two-point deficit at the half for the Dubs, who quickly jumped back in front with a 12-4 run to open the quarter. Poole’s 3-pointer capped a separate 12-2 run as the Warriors outscored the Celtics 38-24 in the period. The Dubs didn’t shoot the ball at a great rate in the period, but they did take advantage of their trips to the free throw line, making all 10 of their shots from the charity stripe. However, the team went just 1-for-5 on free throws in the other three quarters combined.
CELTICS CLOSE OUT
After a quiet start to the game, Jaylen Brown got it going in the fourth quarter with the first five points of Boston’s 9-0 run. Brown hit two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, as did Marcus Smart, Al Horford and Derrick White. The Celtics combined to go 9-of-12 from distance in the final period, and they put the game away with a 17-0 run over a five-minute stretch in the final period. Boston would outscore the Dubs 40-16 in the fourth quarter, handing the Dubs their first home loss of the postseason.
GAME 2 ON SUNDAY
Following Thursday’s Game 1 defeat, the Warriors will look to even up the series on Sunday when they take the floor at Chase Center again for Game 2. Find Tickets
More Notables ...
- Tonight’s loss snapped the Warriors’ franchise-high-tying nine-game home postseason winning streak... Golden State fell to 54-12 at home in the playoffs dating back to 2015… The Warriors are now 12-5 overall this postseason.
- Golden State’s 13-game winning streak of Game 1s played at home was also snapped… It trailed only the Lakers (20) and Bulls (19) for the longest in NBA history.
- The Warriors allowed a 2022 postseason-high-tying 21 threes to the Celtics (5/20 vs. DAL G2)... Golden State allowed a 2022 Playoff-high 51.2% shooting from three to Boston (prev. 48.4% on 4/24 at DEN G4).
- Tonight marked the first NBA Finals game played in the city of San Francisco.
- Golden State fell to 1-3 this postseason when allowing its opponent to shoot 50 percent-or-better from the field, as Boston shot .506% from the field.
- The Warriors allowed 40 points in the game’s fourth quarter, the most they have allowed in any fourth quarter this postseason (prev. 37 on 4/16 vs. DEN G1) and in any playoff fourth quarter dating back to 4/15/19 vs. LAC – 41).
- Golden State’s 16 fourth-quarter points are the fewest the team has scored in any quarter this postseason (prev. 17 on 5/11 at MEM).
- Golden State led by as many as 15 and went on to lose, its largest comeback allowed this postseason (prev. seven on 4/24 at DEN).
- Tonight marked the Warriors 428th consecutive sellout (regular season and playoffs).
- Stephen Curry set an NBA-Finals record for threes made in any quarter with six first-quarter threes (prev. five, Curry (twice), Ray Allen and Kenny Smith)… Curry’s 21 first-quarter points are the most in any NBA Finals quarter dating back to Michael Jordan’s 22 points in the fourth quarter in Game 4 vs. PHX in 1993 (ESPN Stats & Info)… It was also the most points Curry has ever scored in the first quarter of a playoff game (prev. 17, twice).
- Draymond Green recorded his fifth double-figure rebounding game of this postseason.
- Andrew Wiggins posted his third 20-point game of the current postseason… He recorded a playoff career-high-tying three blocks.
- Otto Porter Jr. tallied 10-or-more points for the fifth time this postseason… He sank a playoff career-high-tying four threes (prev. 5/9/22 vs. MEM).
- Andre Iguodala returned to play for the first time since 4/24 at DEN, having missed the previous 12 contests due to a left cervical disc injury.