NBA: Golden State Warriors defeat Boston Celtics

OAKLAND -- As they've been prone to do, the Warriors made it look a little dicey Saturday night. But in the end, as usual, they pulled it out, 101-83 over the Boston Celtics.

Point guard Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 22 points, nine assists and three steals. David Lee had 20 points on 10 of 15 shooting, and rookie Harrison Barnes finished with 15 points and eight rebounds.

Golden State (21-10) led by as much as 22 points. Late in the game, the Warriors allowed the Celtics to cut the deficit to single digits before putting Boston away.

The Warriors, who have won five of their last seven games, are now 13-2 against Eastern Conference teams.

They controlled most of the game as Boston struggled to score. The Celtics, though, were forced to play without point guard Rajon Rondo -- who is one of the best in the business, averaging a league-leading 11.7 assists per game. He sat out with a bruised hip. With Avery Bradley out after shoulder surgery and Leandro Barbosa not with the team for personal reasons, the Celtics were depleted at guard.

Golden State's defense took advantage, holding Boston to 6 of 27 shooting and 17 second-quarter points. The Warriors pushed their six-point lead after the first quarter to a 57-40 halftime advantage.

The lead got as high as 73-53 after a Curry floater in the lane with 4:59 left in the third quarter.

But the Warriors missed their next five shots, and Boston ran off six quick points

to cut it to 14.

A Curry 3-pointer seemed to settle things, but a fit of Warriors turnovers sparked another Celtics' spurt. Curry committed two of the four straight turnovers by Golden State -- both on risky, one-handed passes. The latter led to a breakaway dunk by Boston's Brandon Bass, cutting the Warriors' advantage to 11. Celtics rookie Jared Sullinger closed the quarter with a jump hook to send the Warriors into the fourth quarter with a single-digit lead, 76-67.

Jackson sat Curry and, as he's done all season, and backup point guard Jarrett Jack picked up the slack.

Boston had the lead down to 78-70 when he hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key. After Paul Pierce missed a jumper (he was 4 of 20 with 13 points), Jack converted a driving layup.

The Celtics' Jason Terry hit a 3 to get the Warriors' advantage back down to 10. But Jack answered by setting up a Charles Jenkins jumper to start a 9-1 run. Jack's drive-and-dish to Curry for a 3-pointer put the Warriors up 92-74 and effectively ended any hopes Boston had of winning.

Jack finished with 14 points, four rebounds and four assists.

In the locker room, the players often joke about how with every win they have accomplished something for the Warriors for the first time since before many of them were born.

"Wow. We're getting back into Run TMC stuff," Lee said after he was told the victory over Philadelphia on Friday gave them 20 wins before Jan. 1 for the first time since the 1980-81 season.

Jackson likes to say the Warriors' history of losing doesn't belong to this team. But their start to the season has been something for the record books. Golden State, at 21-10, are off to its best start since 1991-92, when it opened 21-8.

Golden State finished 12-4 in December. The last time it won at least 10 games in a month was March 2008.

This current winning percentage makes for their best month since going 10-1 in 1975, the championship season.

The Warriors have already put together the best long road trip in team history.

And, at 11-6 away from home, they are off to their best road start since the 1991-92 season.

"We're really proud," Lee said. "We're trying to establish our own history.?

Though the percentages don't exactly bear it out, the Warriors' backcourt of Curry and Klay Thompson have established themselves as a premiere shooting backcourt. From 3-point range, anyway.

The pair entered Saturday's game with a combined 168 made from beyond the arc, most by any pair in the league.

Over the first 30 games, Curry made 88 3-pointers and leads the league with 24 games making multiple ones from deep. Thompson has made 80 and is third in the league with 21 multiple 3-pointer games.

By the end of the third quarter on Saturday, each had knocked down three from 3-point range as Golden State made nine of its first 15 attempts (60 percent).

Jackson had glowing words for Celtics coach Doc Rivers before the game.

"Doc is a guy that I talked to during the process of becoming a head coach," Jackson said. "I value him. He's a great coach, a heck of a basketball mind and has been very helpful during the process. He's a guy I have a tremendous amount of respect for and I'm thankful."

Jackson credit Rivers for paving the way for him getting into the coaching profession.

"I value the fact that he did it by not being an assistant coach and understood the question marks," Jackson said. "He was successful. He's a championship coach and in the discussion for best in the business. I do not take it for granted how that paved the way and made it easier for somebody to give me an opportunity."

Source: http://www.willitsnews.com/ci_22282096/golden-state-warriors-defeat-boston-celtics?source=rss_viewed

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