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, sending the series back to San Francisco tied in two games each.
Curry added 10 rebounds and made a couple of baskets during a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter that turned a four-point Boston lead into a 100-94 lead at Golden State. The Celtics missed six straight shots during that period.
Andrew Wiggins had 17 points and 16 boards for the Warriors, who will host the fifth game Tuesday AEST. They would also have the advantage of the local court in a seventh game, if necessary.
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Jayson Tatum had 23 points and 11 rebounds, but only got one basket while playing the entire fourth quarter. Jaylen Brown scored 21 points and Robert Williams III made 12 rebounds for Boston.
Curry made seven triples when the Warriors came back from a half-time disadvantage to tie the NBA Finals 2-2 (Getty)
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 the Warriors old man Draymond Green, singing an obscenity that is usually reserved for Bucky Dent and mocking his many failures. The four-time All-Star shot 1 of 7, but finished with nine rebounds and eight assists to go with two points.
Curry’s ankle was a problem that came on the night after Boston’s Horford landed at the end of the third game, but it didn’t seem to bother him in the fourth game: he played 41 minutes, only Wiggins spent more time on the court for the Warriors. and made 14 of 26 shots, including 7 of 14 from three points.
Andrew Wiggins was instrumental in the class as he dropped a maximum of 16 rebounds to go along with 17 points (Getty)
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.
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