SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- A second-half explosion by the Golden State Warriors led them past the Boston Celtics 107-88, tying the NBA Finals at one a piece.
After leading for much of Game 1, the Warriors would be demolished 40-16 by Boston to finish the contest, leading to the Celtics’ come-from-behind road win.
One of the biggest factors in that victory for Boston was Jaylen Brown and his 24 points.
Brown would continue to score the ball to start Game 2, scoring 13 points in the opening quarter.
Yet, the Warriors would conclude the quarter in strong fashion, holding a slight 31-30 advantage to start the game.
As the second quarter got going, the game remained close to the half, where the Warriors would remain in control 52-50.
While Golden State’s lead may not have been vast, they still were doing the right things to stay ahead.
Forcing Boston into 11 first-half turnovers, while holding them under 40% shooting as a team each played a part in the Warriors’ halftime lead.
Additionally, Game 1 hero Al Horford didn’t attempt a shot in the first half after tallying 26 points a game earlier.
Of course, despite all these issues, Boston was still only down a basket as the second half began.
However, this would swiftly change as the third quarter began.
The Warriors went on a 12-2 run and established a double-digit lead just five minutes in.
The Celtics battled back for a while after that, but things soon truly went sour.
Golden State ended the quarter on a 19-2 run which was capped off by a Jordan Poole halfcourt buzzer-beater to send the Warriors into the fourth up 87-64.
In the final quarter, Boston technically outscored the Warriors.
Yet it was too little, too late for the Celtics, as they’d suffer a 107-88 series-tying defeat.
Warriors Big Second Half
The Warriors got steamrolled in the fourth quarter of Game 1, as Boston stormed back to defeat them.
This time around, it was the Warriors who dominated the final stages of the game.
They’d win the third 35-14, excelling on both sides of the ball after a closely contested first half.
From there, they’d finish the game strongly enough to hold on for the 19-point win.
As usual, a major piece in the Warriors’ win was superstar Stephen Curry.
Curry scored 29 points, while also helping out on defense by notching three steals.
Additionally, sixth man Jordan Poole came alive in the second half after a rough beginning to help his team tie the series.
Poole would score 17 points while draining five three pointers, including that half court heave.
These performances from Curry and Poole were essential, especially considering the struggles of Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins.
The duo only combined to shoot 8-31 from the field, surprisingly not harming the Warriors very much.
Despite those players’ struggles, the Warriors still outplayed the Celtics collectively.
Unfortunately for Boston, the performances from Thompson and Wiggins mirrored many of their own players in Game 2.
Tatum bounces back
Jason Tatum is the unquestioned face of the Celtics franchise, but in Game 1, the team did not really need him to win.
Despite the victory for Boston, Tatum had an ugly game, shooting just 3-17 from the field.
Come Game 2, Tatum looked locked in and ready to fight all game long.
He scored 21 points in the first half, and finished with 28 points, including six threes.
However, despite Tatum thriving, this time around his team was on the losing end.
This can’t totally be pinned on Tatum, as it wasn’t that the Celtics over-relied on him but rather that Boston struggled as a whole.
After a hot start, Jaylen Brown finished the contest with only 17 points on 29% shooting.
The duo of Al Horford and Derrick White combined to shoot 5-17 from the field after huge Game 1 performances.
Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart was in foul trouble and scored just two points on the night.
Finally, Robert Williams played just 14 minutes, looking still banged up due to injuries.
Without Williams playing many minutes, there was a noticeable hole in the Celtics’ No. 1 defense all night.
Despite this defeat, the Celtics still have already stolen a game on the road in this series.
Boston will now return to its home turf for the next four games.
So long as their defense bounces back, and if they can win both home games, the Celtics will still be in great shape going forward.
But at the same time, this victory for the Warriors was huge.
