NBA Finals | Celtics beat Warriors in Game 3 to take 2-1 lead

Throughout the postseason, the Boston Celtics had performed their finest basketball away from dwelling. Not anymore.

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Jaylen Brown scored 27 factors, Jayson Tatum added 26 and the Celtics rode the power of a raucous TD Garden crowd to beat again one other third-quarter onslaught by Golden State in a 116-100 victory Wednesday night time that gave them a 2-1 lead within the NBA Finals.

Defensive present

Marcus Smart added 24 factors and helped gas a defensive effort that held the Warriors to 11 factors within the fourth quarter — third-fewest in a finals sport within the shot clock period.

“Game 2, they brought the heat to us,” Smart mentioned. “For us, that left a bad taste in our mouth because what we hang our hat on is effort on the defensive end and being a physical team. It definitely woke us up a little bit.”

Tatum said the fact the Celtics didn’t hang their heads after the Warriors’ third-quarter flourish is something they didn’t always do in the regular season.

“I think that’s when we are at our best when we respond to tough situations. We respond to teams going on runs and things like that,” he said. “I think we did that several times tonight.”

Boston improved to 6-4 at home, compared to 8-3 on the road this postseason. The Celtics haven’t lost two straight games since the end of March.

Curry shines, then will get injured

Stephen Curry led Golden State with 31 factors and 6 3-pointers. He had 15 factors in a 33-25 third quarter by the Warriors however was damage late within the fourth after Al Horford rolled into his leg on a unfastened ball. Curry mentioned it was just like a play throughout the common season during which Smart dove into Curry’s legs whereas chasing a unfastened ball however “not as bad.”

“I got caught — obviously in some pain, but I’ll be all right,” Curry mentioned. “See how it feels tomorrow and get ready for Friday.”

Warriors outmuscled

Klay Thompson broke out of a finals droop and completed with 25 factors and 5 3s. But the Warriors’ capturing could not save them on an evening the extra athletic Celtics outmuscled them for a 47-31 rebounding benefit.

“When you enable a workforce to get comfy, particularly of their dwelling — in entrance the house crowd, then it’s robust,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said.

Robert Williams III, who has been working his way back from knee surgery, finished with eight points, 10 rebounds and four blocks.

“We talked about it fairly a bit, our group being resilient and with the ability to combat by lots of issues and at instances when it’s most wanted with the ability to lock down on protection,” Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. “We did within the fourth quarter,”

Game 4 at Boston

Game 4 is Friday in Boston. Despite Curry’s noticeable limp after the play with Horford, Warriors coach Steve Kerr mentioned it was not why he pulled him from the sport within the closing minutes.

“The injury didn’t force him out of the game, but I took him out down 14 with two minutes left because we weren’t going to catch up,” Kerr mentioned.

The earlier 39 instances groups have break up the primary two video games of the finals, the winner of Game 3 went on to win the collection 82% of the time.

Feeding off the power of a Garden crowd that jeered Green all through his depressing night time within the first NBA Finals sport in Boston since 2010, the Celtics began quick and led by as many as 18 factors within the first half.

Crisp ball motion by Celtics

Coming off a Game 2 loss during which Boston turned the ball over 19 instances, the Celtics’ ball motion was a lot crisper within the half courtroom, which led to open perimeter pictures, favorable 1-on-1 matchups and driving lanes.

It left the Warriors scrambling at instances, which contributed to a few foul calls on Curry within the opening 24 minutes.

But in addition to Boston performed, it had its early lead erased within the third quarter by a Warriors seven-point possession that included a four-point play by Curry when he drew a flagrant 1 foul on Horford and 3-pointer by Otto Porter Jr to place Golden State in entrance 83-82.

Boston recovered to take a 93-89 edge into the fourth, then outscored Golden State 23-11 within the quarter.

The Celtics led 56-39 earlier than an 8-0 spurt in simply 37 seconds by the Warriors trimmed the result in 56-49 on a layup by Curry with 3:32 left in half. Boston flurried on the finish of the half to take a 68-56 lead into halftime.

Tip-ins

Warriors: Shot 8 of 23 within the first interval. Were outscored 52-26 within the paint.

Celtics: Shot 57% within the first half (27 of 47. Including 8 of 18 from 3. With two 3-pointers by Brown within the first quarter, he and Tatum grew to become the primary pair of teammates in Celtics historical past to every make 50 3-pointers in a single postseason.

Draymond Green’s tussles

Green was concerned in tussles with Brown and Grant Williams in Game 2 — one which led to a technical foul name on Green.

He had one other transient run-in with Williams within the second quarter Wednesday when Williams knocked Green to the bottom at midcourt.

A foul was referred to as on Williams, however he and Green had a brief face-off earlier than being rapidly separated by officers.

In third quarter, Green wound up on the bottom combating for a unfastened ball with Brown. This time Green was referred to as for the foul.

Celtics’ quick begin

The Celtics hit three of their first 4 pictures and scored 10 straight factors to leap out to 10-2 lead.

Boston’s lead grew to 18-9 when a quick break ended with Curry selecting up his second foul attempting to contest Smart’s layup with 5:44 left within the quarter.

Curry stayed within the sport and Golden State switched to zone, but it surely did little to gradual Boston, which widened its benefit as excessive as 15 factors. The Celtics took a 33-22 lead into the second interval.