NBA: Boston Celtics at Golden State Warriors

Fresh off a historic performance, Klay Thompson and the Warriors are back at Oracle Arena to face the Boston Celtics. They have beaten some good teams this season, so the Warriors must be prepared to face a team looking to shock the world.

For the Warriors, beating bad teams are part of the process and they must not take this team for granted. They need to use this game to limit their turnovers and ideally you would like to put them away for early and give your starters some rest.

In case you missed the game, here’s our instant recap:

1st Quarter

The Warriors got off to a fast start against the Boston Celtics in the first quarter. However, it wasn’t the usual suspects. Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green were active early on and Andrew Bogut was effective on both ends of the court. The Celtics, although they were out some key contributors, showed they weren’t going to roll over and take the loss. They kept up with the Dubs and were only down four with about five minutes left in the period. The Warriors were able to get the lead up to seven, but Klay Thompson drew two fouls and he was forced to come out of the game. The second unit came into the game a little early and they were cold. They did end the quarter with the lead, but the Celtics were hanging around.

2nd Quarter

It took the second unit a little while to get into a rhythm, but they finally did and they grew the lead to double digits. Shaun Livingston found the range and was taking advantage of the height differential between himself and Phil Pressey. The Celtics were resilient and the Warriors weren’t knocking down shots, so the lead was down to three midway through the second. The Celtics responded with a 10-0 run and the game was suddenly tied. The starters were back in the floor and they came back with a 10-4 run and once again they had the lead. Both teams were trading baskets to end the quarter and it looked like the Celtics were heading to the break with a four point deficit. A Curry steal led to a half court heave and he was fouled by the rookie James Young. Curry knocked down the three Ft’s and the Warriors led 56-49.

3rd Quarter

Both teams came out scoring buckets to start the second half. Once again the Warrior lead was cut to four and the pesky Celtics wouldn’t go away. The Warriors responded with a 9-2 run and the lead was now at 10. Both teams went a little cold, but the Celtics have been able to stay in the game because they have been effective in the paint. The Warriors now seem like they are control and the lead continues to stay between 9-11 points. Klay Thompson got going and the Warriors were cruising to another victory. The had had been quiet, that was until Steph Curry threw down a two hand jam and he brought the house down. The Warriors took a 89-77 lead into the final period.

4th Quarter

The second unit starts the fourth quarter and all they have to do is hold off this feisty Celtics team. They traded baskets with them, but not at a fast pace. Midway through the quarter the Celtics had scored 10 points and the Dubs had eight. The double digit the lead stood pat and the it looked like the starters were going to close this out with ease. The Celtics no longer had any momentum, but to their credit, they played hard throughout the course of the game. Curry and Thompson hit some clutch shots down the stretch and it seemed like it was just a matter of time. However, the Celtics got life once again after a couple of triples and a turnover from the Dubs. They Celtics had the ball with less than 10 seconds left in the game.