SAN FRANCISCO ( Associated Press) — Stephen Curry scored 29 points, Jordan Poole added a mammoth third-quarter run from inside midcourt and the Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics 107-88 in Game 2 on Sunday night, even Even to the NBA. Final.
The pool ended with 17 points for the Warriors, who beat Boston 35–14 in the third quarter to convert a two-point halftime lead into a 23-point lead. And when the Warriors scored the first six points of the fourth, the Celtics waved the surrender flag and vacated their benches.
Golden State also got 12 points in 6 for 6 from Kevon Looney and 11 points from Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson.
Jason Tatum scored 21 of his 28 points in the first half for Boston. Jaylen Brown added 17 for the Celtics, but fought through the 5-for-17 shooting night, and Derrick White scored 12.
Just like in Game 1, one huge run decided everything. The Celtics scored 48-18 to decide the opener in the second half; The Warriors didn’t wait that long in Game 2, playing a blistering 43–14 from the end of the first half to the start of the fourth quarter, turning a tie game into a complete runaway.
Game 3 is in Boston on Wednesday.
Curry had 14 points in the third, making three of his five 3-pointers in the quarter. Boston were 4 for 15 in the quarter, were dismissed 21-6 for 3 and the Warriors converted five turnovers to 11 points.
Pole provided an exclamation point at the close of the third quarter, taking a pass in the final seconds, dribbling over the midcourt strip, making a little room for himself and letting it fly.
Swish.
Curry greeted him with a smile and a hug, Chase Center fans leapt to their feet – if they weren’t already on him – and the result was decided right there.
And for the first time ever, the crowd at the Warriors’ new building finally saw the Celtics lose. Boston went 4–0 on the night at the Warriors’ 3-year-old home, being the only team to win their first four games on the field.
The Celtics were only bidding to join two other teams—the 1993 Chicago Bulls and 1995 Houston Rockets—in the list of clubs that competed in two road games to open the finals. Those Bulls and Rockets won the championship, and 31 of the last 36 teams started with a 2–0 lead and celebrated a title.
Certainly not all is lost for Boston. The Celtics only need to win their remaining home games to win the title, though it won’t be an easy task against a Warriors team that has won at least one road game in an NBA-record 26 consecutive playoff series.
Tip-ins
Celtics: In these playoffs, the Celtics fell 8-3 on the road. They are tied for the second most road wins after one season; The record is nine, set by Houston in 1995. … Robert Williams III, who has dealt with knee issues throughout the playoffs, took a hard fall in the third quarter after being crashed by Marcus Smart. He was out 21 seconds later and did not return, although in fairness it was also during the Warriors burst that turned the game into a rout. … Tatum and Brown had 40 of Boston’s first 54 points.
Warriors: Andre Igodala (swelling of right knee) is out for Game 2 after logging 12 minutes in Game 1. But on Saturday he developed a knee swelling and he sat for the 13th time in the last 14 matches of the Warriors. … Gary Peyton played for the first time in the II Memphis Series after fracturing his elbow.
big quarter
The Warriors’ 35–14 advantage in the third quarter was the 91st separate quarters in these playoffs where one team had a two-point margin over the other. This is the most in a single playoff year, topping 90 such quarters in the 2017 playoffs.
statement game
Players and coaches on both teams wore orange T-shirts before the game with the words “End Gun Violence” on the front, a theme which Warriors coach Steve Kerr – whose father had been killed in gun violence 38 years earlier. – Said often outside. “It comes down to convincing politicians that things like background checks are really important, and things that don’t affect people’s Second Amendment rights,” Kerr said.
wonderful anniversary
Sunday marked the 31st anniversary of the first NBA Finals game win for Michael Jordan, when he and the Chicago Bulls overtook the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 in 1991. Jordan made 13 consecutive shots in that game, the last of them being the coveted change. -Hands-in-mid-air layout in the fourth quarter. “A great move by Michael Jordan,” said NBC announcer Marv Albert as it happened.
,
More Associated Press NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
