Stephen Curry had a game high 29 points on Sunday night, and the Golden State Warriors outscored the Boston Celtics 35-14 in the third quarter en route to a 107-88 win in Game 2 of the NBA Finals at the Chase Center in San Francisco. The series is now tied 1-1 and will head to Boston for the next two games.
Boston got off to a better start than they did in the opening quarter Thursday night in Game 1. After a three-pointer by Andre Wiggins on the first possession for Golden State, the Celtics went on a 13-2 run take a 13-5 lead. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown both had 13 points in the first as the green led by as many as nine. Some sloppy play with seven turnovers however allowed the Warriors to take their first advantage of the night 31-30 on a Steph Curry floater in the final seconds. Derrick White, who has been huge in the postseason, would score five points in a row in the second capped off with a three-pointer as Boston regained a 40-35 lead. Golden State then ran off 10 straight points over the next 2:13 for their biggest lead of the first half at 45-40. The Warriors would hold a two point lead at the halftime break 52-50.
Golden State, as they did in Game 1, did their biggest damage in the third and this time they were able to put the game away. Curry put in 14 points in the period, as the Warriors opened up a 23 point lead. Jordan Poole also provided some spark with nine points, hitting a pair of three-pointers late in the quarter including the last one nothing but net from just inside half court as time expired. The Warriors used a 19-2 run over the final 4:32 to stretch the lead. The lead went to as many as 29 in the fourth, as Golden State improved to 5-0 after a loss this postseason.
Tatum had a bounce back performance, after scoring just 12 points on Thursday, leading Boston with 28 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Brown ended up with 17 points, scoring just four of those after the first quarter. White finished with 12 points off the bench. Al Horford, after a 26 point performance on 6-8 three-pointers in Game 1, only scored two points in the loss as did Marcus Smart. Curry added six rebounds, four assists, and three steals to his point total in the win for Golden State. Poole had 17 points, while Kevon Looney (12), Wiggins (11), and Klay Thompson (11) all finished in double figures. The Celtics turned the ball over a total of 18 times, and the Warriors outscored them by 18 points off of turnovers. Game 3 at TD Garden in Boston will tip off shortly after 9 p.m. on Wednesday night. It will be the first NBA Finals game in Boston since June 12, 2010.
