Golden State Warriors' Klay Thompson, center, looks for a shot between Boston Celtics' Amir Johnson, left, and Avery Bradley during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, March 8, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
Boston opened the 4th with a 21-5 run to beat Golden State.
By Cole Reece| March 8th
The Boston Celtics are the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference for a reason. They play phenomenal defense, are dangerous offensively, and are well coached. Brad Stevens team put that all on display tonight in their 99-86 victory over Golden State. From the start of the game, it was evident that nothing would come easy for the Warriors. Boston hounded the Dubs on every possession and ran them off the three-point line. To make matters worse the Warriors failed to find secondary scorers not named Klay or Steph. The Splash Brothers had to do the heavy lifting all night long. The Celtics, on the other hand, saw scoring from throughout their entire lineup. They are perhaps one of the most balanced teams in the league. Isaiah Thomas registered 25 points for Boston tonight. Kelly Olynyk was absolutely unstoppable from the bench. The big man scored 17 points on 7-9 shooting. Not to mention his 5 rebounds and 5 assists to round out the stat sheet. Despite all the negatives Golden State had the lead going into the 4th quarter. Steph hit a patented buzzer-beating three to give the Dubs a (74-72) lead. In the final quarter, it was all Boston as the road-weary Warriors ran out of gas. The Celtics outscored the Warriors 21-5 to open the 4th. Golden State had no answer for Boston when it was all said and done. There is no time reflect as the Dubs fly out to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves Friday. Steve Kerr and the Warriors must turn around their shooting woes particularly on the three-point end (10-29 tonight).
Stars of the Night: BOS: Isaiah Thomas 25 points, 3 steals, 7-7 FT. Kelly Olynyk 17 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists.
GSW: Steph Curry 23 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds.