The Warriors put together one of their strongest performances of the season and came away with a 123-107 win over the Celtics on Saturday at Chase Center.
The Celtics came into the game as winners of 17 of their last 19 games, but the Dubs were game from the start for this 2022 NBA Finals rematch, never trailing from the midway point of the first quarter through the rest of the game. Klay Thompson started the game strong, scoring 12 of his 34 points in the first quarter, and Stephen Curry came through with 32 points as the Dubs snapped a two-game losing streak.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson Combine for 66 Points vs. Celtics | Dec. 10, 2022
Team Leaders
GSW
| Points | Rebounds | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Thompson - 34 | Looney - 15 | Curry - 7 |
| Curry - 32 | DiVincenzo - 8 | Poole - 4 |
| Poole - 20 | Curry - 6 | 3 Tied - 3 |
BOS
| Points | Rebounds | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Brown - 31 | Brown - 9 | Smart - 5 |
| Tatum - 18 | Tatum - 7 | Brogdon - 4 |
| Brogdon - 16 | Griffin - 7 | Brown - 3 |
KLAY CAME TO PLAY
After there were eight lead changes and two ties through the first six minutes of the game, the Warriors went ahead on three Jordan Poole (20 points) free throws through the 6:12 mark in the first quarter, and Klay Thompson made sure the Dubs stayed in front. The Splash Brother took advantage of the midrange and used his reputation as a perimeter shooter to open up lanes to the basket, and at one point he scored eight consecutive points in the first period.
A highlight-reel play by Klay Thompson!
Thompson didn’t slow down much after that, as he shot 14-for-26 for the game to finish with 34 points, his fourth straight game with at least 20 points.
EFFICIENT NIGHT FOR CURRY
While Thompson carried the torch for the bulk of the first quarter, it was Stephen Curry who put an explanation point on it with his buzzer-beating 3-pointer to put the Dubs up 33-25.
What a play by Stephen Curry!
Curry hit four of his first five 3-point attempts, and he finished the game with six treys while shooting 12-for-21 from the floor overall. Curry and Thompson combined for 66 points on 26-for-47 shooting and 10-for-22 on threes, while Boston’s dynamic duo, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the highest-scoring teammates in the NBA this season, combined for 49 points.
“When Steph and Klay shoot like that, we’re tough to beat,” Head Coach Steve Kerr said.
KUMINGA MAKES A STATEMENT
The Warriors went into halftime with a five-point advantage, but to that point the team’s success was based mainly on the Warriors’ starters. The bench hadn’t really made an impact to that point, but that began to change in the second half. Donte DiVincenzo grabbed eight rebounds, had three assists and matched Curry with a team-best plus-20 rating in his 17 minutes of game action, and Jonathan Kuminga continued his strong play with 10 of his 14 points coming in the second half. At one point in the fourth quarter, Kuminga posted up Jayson Tatum. The Celtics’ superstar denied the Dubs’ second-year forward initially, but Kuminga recovered the ball and finished the play with an impressive slam that gave the Warriors a 17-point lead, the team’s largest advantage of the game to that point.
Kuminga Sticks With It
DUBS DEFENSE ON DISPLAY
The Celtics came into the game averaging nearly 121 points a game, but the Dubs held Boston to 43.7 percent shooting. The most accurate shooting 3-point team in the league, the Celtics were limited to 30 percent from beyond the break, and the Warriors turned many of those misses into scoring opportunities, as the Dubs held a 19-11 advantage in fastbreak scoring.
Golden State Warriors Highlights vs. Boston Celtics
UP NEXT
After taking care of the team with the best record in the league on Saturday, the Dubs begin a six-game road trip on Tuesday in Milwaukee, where they’ll face a Bucks team who have the second-best record in the league.