Celtics-Warriors takeaways: Splash Bros sink C’s in NBA Finals rematch originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Golden State Warriors fed the first-place Boston Celtics some humble pie in Saturday night’s NBA Finals rematch.
Boston simply couldn’t keep up with the defending champions in the much-anticipated matchup at Chase Center. That largely was due to the performances of Warriors stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. The Splash Brothers combined for 66 points (26-47 FG, 10-21 3-PT) in Golden State’s 123-107 victory.
Jaylen Brown (31 points, nine rebounds) did his part, but it was an off night for the rest of the C’s roster. Jayson Tatum couldn’t get much of anything going as he finished with 18 points on 6-of-21 shooting.
Here are our takeaways from the Celtics’ humbling defeat. They’ll look to bounce back in Monday’s late-night matchup vs. the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Celtics have done a tremendous job without Robert Williams and without Al Horford at points this season. Saturday night, however, they really missed their starting bigs.
Blake Griffin got the start at the 5 and the Warriors’ sharpshooters took advantage of him in drop coverage. Boston had no answer for Curry and Thompson coming around screens on the perimeter. The result was the Splash Brothers getting countless open looks with predictable results.
Thompson finished with a game-high 34 points on 14-of-26 shooting (4-11 3-PT). Curry added 32 while shooting 12-of-20 from the floor (6-11 3-PT).
Griffin was helpless against the Warriors’ shooters, but he did his part otherwise as a starter. The veteran big man notched 13 points (4-5 FG) and seven rebounds in 20 minutes.
Still, C’s fans will cross their fingers and hope Williams’ return is just around the corner.
NBA Finals flashbacks for Jayson Tatum
Jayson Tatum undoubtedly had this game circled on his calendar as he eyed revenge on the team that ruined his NBA championship hopes. The night didn’t go as planned for the NBA MVP frontrunner.
Tatum was given a harsh reminder of his struggles against Golden State in the 2022 Finals. He looked off from the opening tip, shooting 1-for-6 from the floor with two fouls in the first quarter.
It didn’t get much better from there. Tatum couldn’t get the job done in crunch time and finished with just 18 points, his second-lowest total of the season (14 in the Dec. 2 OT loss to Miami). He was just 6-for-21 from the floor and 4-of-7 from the free-throw line.
You can bet on a Tatum bounce-back performance Monday night in L.A., but these are the types of games in which an MVP candidate needs to step up. He’ll have to wait until the Jan. 19 rematch at TD Garden to make up for it.
Jaylen Brown picks up the slack
Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce believe Jaylen Brown should be receiving MVP consideration alongside Tatum. They may have a point.
Brown stepped up on Tatum’s off night, particularly in the fourth quarter to propel an 11-2 Celtics run that cut the deficit to eight points. It wasn’t enough, but the final score would have been far more lopsided had Brown not played at such a high level.
Brown continued his stellar season with a team-high 31 points on 13-of-23 shooting. He added nine rebounds and three assists with only two turnovers.
Through 27 games, Brown is averaging 26.8 points and 7.2 rebounds while shooting 50.1 percent from the floor. Those numbers aren’t too far off from Tatum’s. If nothing else, Saturday night’s game was a reminder that Brown deserves far more national recognition than he’s been getting.
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