By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Jaylen Brown scored 27 points, Jayson Tatum added 26 and the Celtics at home reacted fiercely after another third-quarter show by Golden State in a 116-100 victory that gave them a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.
Marcus Smart added 24 points and helped fuel a defensive effort that held the Warriors to 11 points in the fourth quarter, third-fewest in a finals game in the shot clock era.
“Game 2, they brought the heat to us,” Smart said. “For us, that left a bad taste in our mouth because what we hang our hat on is effort on the defensive end and being a physical team. It definitely woke us up a little bit.”
Tatum added: “I think that’s when we are at our best when we respond to tough situations. We respond to teams going on runs and things like that, I think we did that several times tonight.”
The Celtics haven’t lost two straight games since the end of March.
Stephen Curry led Golden State with 31 points and six 3-pointers. He had 15 points in a 33-25 third quarter by the Warriors but was hurt late in the fourth after Al Horford rolled into his leg on a loose ball.
Klay Thompson broke out of a finals slump and finished with 25 points and five 3s. But the Celtics controlled the game with a 47-31 rebounding advantage.
Boston Center Robert Williams III finished with eight points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. German big man Daniel Theis wasn’t used by the Celtics, while Serb Nemanja Bjelica had one assist in four minutes of play.