Eighty-eight points and seven turnovers in the third quarter were just two major stat lines the Golden State Warriors encountered as they walked out of TD Garden Arena in a 92-88 loss to the Boston Celtics in November 2017.
Much of the Warriors’ offensive woes came from bad shooting from their big three – Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant – who shot 27 percent off 7 of 26 shooting in the first half and 34 percent off 17 of 50 shooting in the game. Even worse, Golden State went 10 of 32 from three-point range, a major portion of its offense each game.
Combine that with a Celtics’ defense – one that ranks second in the league in allowing their opponents 98 points per game – forced the Warriors into committing a total of 15 turnovers that led to 17 of Boston’s 92 points.
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The defending NBA champs, however, will have a chance to redeem themselves against the Celtics Saturday night at Oracle Arena.
Boston (35-14) enters Saturday’s game averaging nearly 103 points per game, 23rd best in the league, second in defense (98 points per game) and 10th in rebounds (44.4). Despite the Celtics’ success this season, Boston snapped a four-game losing streak in a 113-102 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday behind a big game from Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, Marcus Morris and bench production from Terry Rozier, Daniel Theis and Semi Ojeleye.
Boston will need to duplicate another strong defensive performance on Saturday, in conjunction with solid production on offense from Irving, Brown and Tatum. In the November matchup, Jaylen Brown played a huge part in the Celtics’ victory.
Brown, who had found out about the death of his childhood best friend the night before game in November, led the Celtics with 22 points and seven rebounds, followed by Al Horford with 18 and Irving with 16.
Golden State (39-10) enter Saturday’s game having won nine of its last 11 games, including a superb offensive performance in a victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves 126-113 Thursday evening.
Curry, who is averaging nearly 28 points per game, shot 3 of 14 from the field, 2 of 9 beyond the arc to finish with nine points in the November match. In addition, the five-time All-Star was coming back after missing a game with a bruised right thigh injury.
It will be important for Curry, Durant and Thompson to play at their highest level if they plan to beat the Celtics. Meaning, a strong shooting night is a must for them. Against the Timberwolves, the Warriors converted a season-high 21 three pointers. Both Curry and Thompson had 25 points, while Durant finished with 28, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
The Warriors move up and down the court fast, allowing them multiple opportunities for fast break points. Like the first matchup where they had 14 fast break points against the Celtics, look for them to build on the fast break points but more importantly living by the three pointer.
This second matchup – one in which the likelihood of the Warriors having another off-shooting night is slim – could be one to truly consider as a possible NBA Finals match if Boston can continue to lead the Eastern Conference and outlast the Raptors and the Cavaliers in the playoffs. As for the Warriors, their biggest headache in the Western Conference have been the Houston Rockets, which beat them 116-108 last Saturday in Houston.
Whatever the case may be, there is nothing like a classic matchup of Curry versus Irving and Boston’s young wingmen matched up against Thompson and Durant. The game will come down to whether Boston has enough offensive firepower to score with Golden State and whether the Celtics can limit some of the Warriors offensive opportunities in transition, defend the three-point line and force Golden State into committing turnovers.
Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m.
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