The Boston Celtics looked like they might get blown out of the arena early as Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry started hot and finished with 38 points, but with some solid play particularly in the fourth quarter, the Celtics were able to steal a road win at the start of a five-game west coast road trip.
It was a much-needed victory for Boston after dropping their last two contests, and a more even scoring effort from the team as well. Star swingman Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 27 points and 9 rebounds, point guard Kemba Walker had 19 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, and forward Jaylen Brown added 18 points and 10 boards.
Second-year forward Grant Williams added 15 points and 2 blocks off the bench along with 9 points from reserve guard Jeff Teague, and Boston improved to 11 – 8, good enough for fourth in the East.
“I’m just trying to stay ready,” shared Williams after the contest. “Sometimes you don’t know [if you’ll play], but that’s understandable.”
Head coach Brad Stevens related he wasn’t sure if Walker would play in Wednesday night’s game against the Sacramento Kings, but the UConn product has been expected to sit on the second night of back-to-backs this season.