BOSTON, MA.- Stephen Curry dropped 43 points to help the Golden State Warriors tie the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics at two games apiece.
After an ugly fourth quarter showing in Game 3, the Warriors needed a bounce back outing.
The two teams began the game neck and neck, as they have throughout the series.
At the end of the first quarter, Boston held a narrow 28-27 lead thanks to a last-second corner three from Grant Williams.
During the following quarter, things would remain tight-knit until a late-quarter 10-0 run by Boston.
This scoring spurt played a big part in the Celtics securing a 54-49 halftime lead.
A big part of the Celtics’ first half advantage was their ability to keep Golden State’s shot-making in check.
The Warriors shot just 39% from the field over two quarters, and even Curry only made 25% of his threes at that point despite having a game-high 19 points.
The Celtics were playing strong defense, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were scoring, and the shots were simply falling for Boston.
When the third quarter began, the Warriors as a whole continued to have issues keeping pace with Boston.
However, Curry continued to keep his squad in the contest with some impressive scoring.
He’d finish the third with 14 points on 5-7 shooting, allowing the Warriors to head into the final quarter up 79-78.
In the final 12 minutes, the Warriors would start to give Curry some much-needed support.
Klay Thompson finally started to hit some big shots after a tough start to the game, while Andrew Wiggins was hustling on both ends en route to notching a double double.
The two squads would maintain their back-and-forth competition for the entirety of the quarter.
Ultimately, Curry’s huge shot making would prove too much for the Celtics.
He’d finish with those staggering 43 points, draining seven triples along the way.
Curry dragged his team to an extremely hard-fought victory. Going into Game 5, he’ll need more consistent help from his teammates to win the series.
Warriors Make Adjustments
After the Game 3 loss, Steve Kerr was more willing to change things up against Boston in this contest.
That was immediately proven by his decision to change his starting lineup.
Otto Porter got the nod over Kevon Looney despite Looney being the only big on the Warriors’ roster who could go toe-to-toe with the Boston frontcourt.
Looney would still see plenty of playing time however, especially due to Draymond Green’s inconsistent minutes on the night.
Green, the longtime heart and soul of Golden State, has by many accounts had a very poor series against Boston.
This led Steve Kerr to experiment with Green’s role in the rotation in Game 4.
Green would come and go in situations he’d often remain in the entire time, notably in the fourth quarter.
Green played quite a bit in the fourth, but Kerr wasn’t afraid to take him out if he felt it necessary.
Additionally, the decision to begin the second half with Nemanja Bjelica was one extra strategy Kerr employed to shake things up.
Interestingly, this would ultimately not change much about the final lineup Kerr used down the stretch.
Curry and Thompson’s perimeter shooting, Jordan Poole’s offense of the bench, and Green’s role as a playmaker were all able to come into play to help close the game out.
In the end, the Warriors were able to tie the series. Only time will tell whether they continue to mix up the lineup.
Boston’s Defense Thrives Early
The Celtics’ defensive success is well documented this season. They simply were the best at that end all year long.
Yet, it seemed like they’d finally found a worthy defensive adversary in the form of Golden State.
In Game 4, Boston outperformed its opponent on that end, at least throughout the first half.
Boston saw its role players step up and thoroughly out-play the Warriors supporting cast before the final quarter.
Marcus Smart would notch four steals and continued to be a much-needed energetic presence for his squad.
Jayson Tatum, who scored 23 points, also contributed on defense with three rejections.
And most notably, Robert Williams III had arguably his best game of the playoffs yet, tallying 12 rebounds and two blocks while playing strong team defense all night long.
What went wrong for the Celtics was that they simply didn’t have an answer for Curry.
The Celtics looked frustrated and tired from chasing Curry around all night, and in the final five minutes, the team’s offense started to fade.
This allowed the Warriors to hit their stride and emerge with the series-tying victory.
Going forward, Boston will need to find a way to contain the former MVP guard.
That, of course, is easier said than done.
