In a season full of talk, the Boston Celtics achieved their biggest performance yet on Sunday.
The Celtics had a historic first half, defeating the team that beat the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals two seasons ago, 140-88.The victory made them First team in NBA history Win three regular season games by a margin of 50 points or more. They did so while sitting their starters for much of the second half.
The game started out as expected for a matchup between two competitive NBA teams. The NBA's featured matchup of the day looked like a good game until Stephen Curry hit a jump shot midway through the first quarter to tie the game at 21-21. After that, the wheels fell off for the Warriors.
Boston opens the game with a 61-17 run
Jaylen Brown hit three 3-pointers on consecutive Celtics possessions, and Boston went on a 14-0 run in the first quarter. Brown finished the first quarter with 19 points.
The Celtics increased their lead to 23-1, and Boston connected on 10 3-pointers to end the first quarter with a 44-22 lead.
Jayson Tatum took charge in the second quarter. The Celtics All-Star scored 17 points in the game and took the scoring baton from Brown.
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Meanwhile, Curry chucked and missed a number of contested 3-pointers, including an airball. By halftime, he was 0-of-9 from beyond the arc, making his worst 3-point attempts in six months of his career.
By halftime, Tatum had 22 points and Brown led all scorers with 25 points. Only they outscored the Warriors as Boston led 61-17 going into intermission leading 82-38. The 44-point advantage marked the Celtics' largest halftime lead in the franchise's storied history.
Warriors wave white flag in 3rd quarter
Warriors coach Steve Kerr didn't bother bringing Curry and Klay Thompson back in the third quarter. Neither player played after halftime. Meanwhile, the Celtics expanded their dominance in the third quarter, extending their lead to 51 points.
With the Celtics holding a 99-48 lead, head coach Joe Mazzula called a timeout and mercifully pulled the starters. 7 minutes and 16 seconds left in the 3rd quarter. From there, bench players from both teams finished the game.
Brown had a game-high 29 points, three rebounds and three assists. He went 11-of-19 from the field and 5-of-10 from 3-point range. Tatum added 27 points, three rebounds, five assists and one steal. He made 9 of 13 field goals, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range.
Curry had four points, three assists and one rebound, making 2 of 13 field goals, including the aforementioned 0 of 9 from long range. The total score was the lowest since March 2022. Moses Moody was Golden State's only starter in double figures with 11 points.
As a team, the Celtics shot 55.2 percent from the field and 51 percent from 3-point range (25-of-49). Golden State shot 39.1 percent from the field and 17.1 percent (7-of-41) from beyond the arc. The Celtics assisted on 35-of-53 field goals and turned the ball over just seven times. Boston forced Golden State into 17 turnovers. The Warriors fell to 32 wins and 28 losses, and are in a battle for the play-in with the West for 9th place in the conference.
Can the Celtics translate their regular season success into a title?
With this win, the Celtics improved to 48 wins and 12 losses, the best record in the league. His previous wins of 50 points or more were a 136-86 win over the Brooklyn Nets on February 14th and a 155-104 win over the Indiana Pacers on November 1st. The final 52-point differential was the third-largest in the Celtics franchise. history.
With the win, Boston improved on its already historic points-per-game average, beating opponents by an average of 10.73 points per game in Sunday's matchup. This margin would rank eighth in NBA history if continued for a full season.
The Celtics dominate the East division this season, tied for first place in the Western Conference with the Oklahoma City Thunder and reigning champion Denver Nuggets trailing the first-place Minnesota Timberwolves by a half-game. Sunday's win further increased expectations that the Celtics are the clear favorites to win the Eastern Conference, but there will likely be disappointment if the Celtics fall short of their first NBA championship since 2008.
