Celtics bounce back with 116-100 win in Game 3, take 2-1 lead in NBA Finals
BOSTON -- The Celtics still have not lost two straight during the postseason, and now they own a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals. Boston beat the Golden State Warriors, 116-100, in Game 3 on Wednesday night at TD Garden.
Boston's star trio of Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Marcus Smart led the way for the C's. Brown led the three with 27 points and nine rebounds, scoring 22 of those points before halftime. Tatum struggled to start but picked it up in the second half, finishing with 26 points off 9-for-23 shooting to go with nine assists. Smart was up and down but had 24 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
They're the first trio to all put up a 20-5-5 line in the NBA Finals since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and Michael Cooper of the L.A. Lakers did it in 1984.
Golden State got close to a vintage performance from the Splash Brothers, with Steph Curry pouring in 31 points and Klay Thompson adding 25. But no one else on Golden State did much – including Draymond Green, who scored just two points before fouling out with four minutes to play -- while the Celtics got a little bit from everyone.
Al Horford had 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Robert Williams had his best game in weeks, playing 26 minutes and adding eight points, 10 rebounds and four blocks for the Celtics. Grant Williams added 10 points off the Boston bench.
The Celtics took much better care of the ball on Wednesday night and played some strong defense throughout. They also dominated on the glass, pulling down 15 offensive rebounds and finishing with a 47-31 advantage on the glass.
And after yet another nightmare of a third quarter, the Celtics held the Warriors to just 11 points in the fourth.
Boston improved to 7-0 following a loss this postseason, and is now two wins away from adding another championship to the franchise's collection.
The first quarter belonged to Brown, as he scored 17 of Boston's 33 points in the opening frame. He hit six of his nine shots, including three of four from downtown, and had a beautiful backdoor cut which he finished with an emphatic slam to put Boston on top 30-15.
Tatum had just three points in the opening quarter but woke up in the second. He had his hand in 10 straight points for the Celtics, scoring eight while dishing a beautiful assist to Marcus Smart for an easy layup. Tatum's driving hoop with just under six minutes in the half put Boston on top 56-39.
But then the Warriors started scoring and scoring quickly. They took advantage of Boston miscues to score eight straight. The Celtics' lead was down to 56-47 after Curry drained a three off a Smart turnover.
Boston pushed the lead back to double digits a few minutes later when Horford deflected a long pass by Draymond Green and fed Tatum up court. Tatum dished it to a driving Brown, who finished with another monster jam to give the Celtics a 61-49 lead. Brown hit a three on Boston's next possession and the Celtics took a 68-56 lead into halftime. Brown scored 22 points ahead of halftime.
Then came the third quarter. And it was not good for the Celtics -- again.
With the Boston leading by nine, the Warriors got a seven-point possession. Curry was fouled by Horford as he drained a deep three, and Horford was called for a Flagrant-1 for getting his foot under Curry as he landed. Curry hit the free throw, and then Otto Porter drained a three on Golden State's ensuing possession to make it an 82-80 game.
Curry then hit another three to make it a 12-0 Warriors run and put them on top 83-82. A Grant Williams corner three gave Boston a 93-86 lead late in the quarter, but then Thompson nailed a three of his own and the Celtics led by just four points, 93-89, heading into the fourth quarter.
The Warriors won the third 33-25 with Curry and Thompson scoring 25 points for Golden State in the frame. But the Celtics were able to weather some of the storm late in the quarter, and it fed into the fourth.
The Celtics opened the final quarter on a 9-2 run (a 20-8 run going back to the final three minutes of the third) capped off by a Grant Williams layup off a Smart missed three to build Boston's lead to 11 points. A strong driving layup by Tatum had the Celtics ahead 107-96 with just under six minutes to play.
After a Curry missed three, Tatum drew a pair of defenders on a drive and dished it to Smart for a corner three to make it a 14-point game for Boston.
The Celtics kept attacking over the final minutes of the game rather than trying to milk the clock. Horford hit Rob Williams for an alley oop to make it a 14-point game, and Smart banked one in on a nice drive to keep it a 14-point game with 2:19 left.
Both coaches dusted off their benches shortly after and the Celtics walked off the floor with a comfortable, yet hard-fought, victory. Boston will now look to take a 3-1 series lead with a Game 4 win Friday night at TD Garden.
