Celtics get blown out by Warriors 107-88 in Game 2; NBA Finals even at 1-1
BOSTON -- There was no dramatic comeback by the Celtics in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. They got absolutely trounced by the Warriors, 107-88, on Sunday night, and now the NBA Finals is all square at a game apiece.
The Warriors can score points in a hurry, and the Celtics learned that on a number of occasions Sunday night. Boston once again got trounced in the third quarter, with Golden State winning the frame 35-14. This time, it cost the Celtics the game.
As did a ridiculous amount of turnovers. Boston turned it over 19 times, leading to 33 points for Golden State. The Warriors had 15 steals on the night.
Steph Curry led the charge for the Warriors, scoring 29 points in 32 minutes off 9-for-21 shooting, including 5-for-12 from three-point range. It was a vintage Steph Curry performance for Golden State.
Jayson Tatum bounced back from a rough shooting night in Game 1, finishing with 28 points for Boston. But he also had four turnovers and was a minus-36 in his 34 minutes on the floor. Ouch.
Jaylen Brown added 17 points for the Celtics, but most of those points came in the first quarter. The majority of those in green struggled Sunday night, as Boston couldn't get much of anything going for the majority of the evening.
Marcus Smart was 1-for-6 and 0-for-3 from three-point range, finishing with two points and five turnovers. Boston's starting front court of Al Horford and Robert Williams took just five shots -- total -- and scored a combined four points.
Brown scored nine of Boston's first 13 points as the Celtics hit their first five shots of the game. That was the peak for the Celtics, as they missed their next seven shots after their hot start.
Golden State went on a 10-2 run late in the quarter, capped off by a Curry three to pull the Warriors within 24-23. Tatum answered with a three, followed by a Gary Payton II corner three at the other end. After Tatum drained another three for Boston, Jordan Poole answered with a triple for Golden State to make it a 30-29 game.
The Celtics committed seven turnovers in the first quarter, and they were all costly. Golden State turned those free possessions into 13 points, including the last bucket of the quarter. Derrick White's pass to Daniel Theis under the basket never made it to the center, and the quarter ended with Curry putting in a floater to beat the buzzer and give the Warriors a 31-30 lead.
Boston opened the second quarter on a 10-4 run, with White doing most of the damage. He fed Robert Williams for an easy deuce, hit a short jumper, and then drained a wide open corner three to put the Celtics on top 40-35.
That lead didn't last long though. Boston's shot selection went down the drain and Golden State went on a 10-0 run to regain the lead. Curry came up with a bad pass by Tatum and turned it into an easy three during the run, and Andrew Wiggins canned a straight-away triple to finish it and put the Warriors on top 45-40 with 4:54 left in the half.
But Tatum hit a three -- his fifth of the first half -- and then fed White for another, and the Celtics battled back to take a 46-45 lead to set up an all-out battle to close the half.
Things got chippy between Brown and Draymond Green after Green fouled Brown on a three-point attempt. Green was up to his usual antics and hovered his sneakers above Brown as the two were on the floor. The usually cool-headed Brown wasn't pleased and gave Green a shove.
The little dustup was reviewed and nothing came of it, which was big considering Green already had a technical foul from earlier in the game. Green clearly got under Boston's skin on Sunday night, in addition to scoring nine points to go with seven assists and five rebounds.
Brown hit two of his three free throws to tie the game at 50-50. But Wiggins snagged the offensive rebound on a deep Curry miss and put it in for an easy two, and the Warriors led 52-50 at the break.
Boston's horrible third quarter started with more bad shots and turnovers, and Golden State took advantage. The Warriors raced out to a 7-0 run early in the frame, with Klay Thompson hitting a three off a Brown turnover to put Golden State on top 59-52.
The Warriors were up 64-54 following a Curry three and Thompson dropping a nice hesitation move on Brown for an easy layup. Boston started the quarter 2-for-10.
Two straight threes by the Celtics had the Warriors' lead down to six, 68-62, but then Golden State rattled off an 11-0 run in just over two minutes. Back-to-back threes by Curry had the Warriors ahead 79-62 with just over two minutes left in the quarter, and it just got worse from there.
Poole turned a Boston shot clock violation into a three, and then banked in another from midcourt at the buzzer to put Golden State ahead 87-64 heading into the fourth quarter. The Warriors ended the frame on a 19-2 run, pouring it on offensively while suffocating the Celtics on defense.
There was no comeback this time for the Celtics, as the Warriors scored the first six points of the fourth quarter. It was a maddening start for Boston, as Golden State got a bucket off an offensive rebound and another off a turnover. With the Warriors up by 29, Ime Udoka emptied the Boston bench with 10:45 to play. It was that ugly for Boston.
If you're looking for a bright side for Boston, at least the Celtics split in San Francisco. They've been great at bouncing back after losses this season, and will look to continue that trend Wednesday night with a Game 3 win at TD Garden. Boston has yet to lose two straight games this postseason, with a 6-0 record following a defeat.
Clean up their turnovers and get someone without "Jay" in their name going offensively -- and, of course, figure out the third quarter -- and the Celtics should be in good shape going forward.
But it's going to be a long, long flight across the country for the Celtics.
