11TH HEAVEN FOR THE CELTICS:
On Sunday, the Boston Celtics triumphed against the Golden State Warriors for the eleventh time in a row, overwhelming them by a remarkable 52 points, 140-88.
The Celtics dominated play from the start in this rematch between the two teams that played in the NBA Finals in 2022. Superstar wing Boston led 44–22 at the end of the first quarter thanks to Jaylen Brown's 19 points in just that period.
By the end of the first half, the Celtics' lead had grown to 44 points, which was the biggest halftime lead in franchise history.
After the break, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green—the so-called "Big Three" were not allowed to play any more minutes by Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who was understandably dissatisfied with what he had witnessed.
Curry's night turned into a nightmare as Golden State's offence came to a total standstill. He managed just four points, shooting just 2-of-13 from the field and, strangely, missing all nine of his three-point attempts.
In the third quarter, the Celtics extended their lead above fifty points, and Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla likewise went to his bench for the remainder of the contest.
The third-largest winning margin in Celtics history was 52 points. According to StatMuse, after crushing the Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets earlier in the season, Boston also became the first NBA club ever to win three games by at least 50 points in a single season.
“It feels great, but at the same time, it’s always within humility,” said Brown, who finished with 29 points, three rebounds and three assists.
“At any given point, that can be us and we don’t take the game for granted. We didn’t come out and mess around and that’s just how we show our respect to the game.
We handle business and take care of it, but we don’t do it arrogantly. We do it with humility. And it’s a lot of respect for the Golden State Warriors, but we feel like it’s our time now.”
On his 26th birthday, Jayson Tatum, a front-runner for MVP, led the Celtics with 27 points, while Payton Pritchard contributed 19 points off the bench.
With their 11th straight victory on Sunday, Boston has outscored its opponents by an average of 22.1 points per game throughout this winning run, according to the organisation.
The Warriors, on the other hand, suffered their worst loss of the current season and the third-largest in franchise history after being held to a season-low 88 points.
Kerr was eager for his team to move on and was unconcerned about the loss despite the overwhelming score.
“This is a ‘flush it down the toilet,’” Kerr said postgame. “We had a great road trip, 3-1, we’ve had a million games. Boston was amazing, we weren’t beating them today. We’ll head home and get ready for Wednesday.”
Lester Quiñones led the Warriors in scoring with 17 points off the bench. Last month, Quiñones had his two-way deal converted to a regular NBA contract.
Four-time champion Curry was reflecting on his memories of Boston's outstanding offensive display following the victory.
“They’re hitting 10 threes in the first quarter, that’s what we used to do teams,” Curry told the media.
“They’re the best team in the league right now, and they played like it … that was hard to watch from the other side.”
The Dubs fall to 32-28 overall as they prepare to take on the Milwaukee Bucks, another dominant team in the East, on Wednesday. The Cleveland Cavaliers will host the Boston Celtics on Tuesday. The Celtics have the best record in the NBA at 48-12.