A highly anticipated cross-conference matchup between the Celtics and the Warriors happened on Thursday. In this game, Boston entered with an impressive record of 35-19. They won six of the last seven games. They were second in the Eastern Conference, only behind Detroit by 5.5 games.
During the game on Thursday, Celtics’ Jaylen Brown had 23 points, 15 rebounds, and 13 assists. It was his third triple-double this season. With the help of Jaylen’s performance, the Boston Celtics rolled over a Steph Curry-less Golden State Warriors. They won by 121-110 on Thursday. Apart from Jaylen, Payton Pritchard added 26 points, and Sam Hauser scored 16.
Their performances helped Boston register its seventh win in the eight games. This game also spoiled the former Celtic Kristaps Porzingis’ debut for the Golden State Warriors.
Before the All-Star break, Brown was the leading scorer in the Eastern Conference. He matched his career high in rebounds, and all of them were on the defensive end. His 13 assists in this game are a career best for him. It was also his fifth triple-double in his career.
Porzingis played 99 games for Boston over two seasons and won a championship. After that, he was traded to Atlanta over the summer. At the trade deadline, the Warriors acquired his services from the Hawks. However, he had been nursing a left Achilles injury.
The Warriors also didn’t have two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry. He was sidelined with a knee injury. This season, Golden State has a record of 6-11 when Curry is not on the team.
For Warriors, De’Anthony Melton had 18 points, and Will Richard and Gui Santos had 17 each. Not fully fit Porzingis had 12 points.
In the fourth quarter, Boston had a lead of 30 points, and Golden State made a run for it. Gary Payton II’s dunk got them within 111-99 with six minutes. After that, Pritchard made back-to-back three-pointers.
