Stephen Curry scored 43 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 107-97 victory over the Boston Celtics in the fourth game of the NBA Finals on Friday night, sending the series back to San Francisco in two games. each.
Two nights after recovering from a foot injury in a third-game loss, Curry stepped up and headed for the third-best playoff performance of his career, adding 10 rebounds and making a couple of baskets during a 10-run run. -0 in the fourth quarter that turned a four-point lead from Boston into a 100-94 lead over Golden State.
“This man’s heart is amazing,” Warriors guard Klay Thompson said. “The things he does, we take for granted sometimes, to get out there and turn our backs. We have to help him on Monday.”
Andrew Wiggins had 17 points and 16 boards for the Warriors, who have won at least one road game in 27 consecutive playoff series. They will host the fifth game Monday night, and the sixth in Boston on Thursday; Golden State would maintain the lead on the local court in a seventh game, if necessary.
“We had to do it the hard way,” said Celtics coach Ime Udoka, whose team split the first four games of each of its two previous series. “It simply came to our notice then. It could have been an easier path, obviously, if you get the win tonight. But now we are 2-2. We know we can do it. We’ve done it before. “
Jayson Tatum had 23 points and 11 rebounds for Boston, but only got one basket while playing the entire fourth quarter. Jaylen Brown scored 21 points and Robert Williams III made 12 rebounds.
Marcus Smart, who scored 18 points, hit a triple to give the Celtics a 94-90 lead with just over five minutes to go. But they missed six straight shots and didn’t score again until 1:18, after Curry made a float and a triple to give the Warriors a 100-94 lead.
“He didn’t let us down. That’s all it comes down to,” said Draymond Green, the great Warriors. “I could tell by his behavior, in the last few days, even after the third game, that he would come out with that kind of fire.”
Golden State beat Boston 17-3 to close the game.
Fans arriving at TD Garden for what could have been the last time this season found a covered T-shirt on their seats with the 17 NBA championship banners lined up in front. There was a blank rectangle where the 18th would go.
Now the Celtics should win at least once again in San Francisco to fill the void.
The increased crowd spent much of the game booing Green, singing an obscenity that is usually reserved for Bucky Dent and mocking his many flaws. The four-time All-Star shot 1 of 7, but finished with nine rebounds and eight assists to end with two points.
He also had an offensive rebound and a plate to Curry after returning to the game at the last minute to rule out any possibility of a Boston comeback.
“He’s the biggest competitor. He made great plays along the stretch,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “This is a difficult series to score for Boston’s size and athletics, but it’s still impacting the game on a high level.”
Curry’s ankle was a problem that came on the night after Boston’s Al Horford landed at the end of game 3. But it didn’t seem to bother him on Friday night: he played 41 minutes, only Wiggins spend more time on the court for the Warriors. and made 14 of 26 shots, including 7 of 14 from three points.
“It didn’t even seem like a factor,” Kerr said. “The physique is pretty dramatic. Boston has the best defense in the league – huge and powerful in every position, and for Steph to take that kind of pressure throughout the game and still be able to defend … I think this is the strongest physically he has ever been in his career. ”
Williams qualified as questionable when he entered the game with a knee injury that kept him out at the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs. He started strong, with 10 rebounds in the first half, but was limping in the second half and on the bench in the final minutes.
He finished with seven points for the end with four assists and two blocked shots, playing 31 minutes.
The Warriors won the third quarter for the fourth straight game, but not as decidedly as before.
Golden State had a 30-24 lead at the break, closing out a 14-7 lead to erase a six-point lead over Boston. Curry scored 14 points in the fourth, making four triples.
The Warriors outscored the Celtics by a combined 136-87 lead in the final.
This time, it was the fourth quarter that was decisive.