Klay Thompson, Steph Curry combine for 66 points in Warriors’ win over
Celtics
Klay Thompson recorded his second 30-plus game of the season Saturday
night in a 2022 NBA Finals rematch.
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 10: Klay Thompson #11 of the
Golden State Warriors shoots and scores over Jaylen Brown #7 and Jayson
Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics during the second quarter of an NBA
basketball game at Chase Center on December 10, 2022 in San Francisco,
California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that,
by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the
terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by
Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
By MADELINE KENNEY | mkenney@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: December 10, 2022 at 5:40 p.m. | UPDATED: December 10, 2022
at 10:46 p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/12/10/klay-thompson-steph-curry-combine-for-66-points-en-route-to-warriors-win-over-celtics/

SAN FRANCISCO — The Celtics came into Saturday’s 2022 NBA Finals rematch
ready to wreak vengeance, but the Warriors got the last laugh, defeating
the best team in the league 123-107.

“That’s a statement win right there,” Draymond Green said as he headed
to the locker room after the win.

Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry combined for 66 points and 10 of the
Warriors’ 13 3-pointers, while Jordan Poole, starting in place of an
injured Andrew Wiggins, added 20 points (nine of which came from the
free throw line) on an overall off shooting night en route to Golden
State’s 12th home win of the season.

“Definitely one of our better wins of the year,” coach Steve Kerr said
after the game. “We competed and did a really good job defensively,
tried to make things as tough as possible for them, and we gutted it out.”

It’s been about six months since the Warriors’ rallied from a 2-1 hole
in the Finals to win the series in six games. That disappointing loss
left a bitter taste for the Celtics, with Jaylen Brown telling reporters
this week that “there’s nothing more humbling” than being beaten at the
highest level.

Boston has been hot to start the season, jumping out to a league-best
21-6 record while looking poised to make another summer run.

Meanwhile, the Warriors have dealt with some early-season adversity that
has them sitting just above .500, with the majority of those wins coming
at Chase Center.

Both teams entered Saturday refreshed. Neither had played a game since
Wednesday. The Celtics were coming off a 27-point statement win over the
Phoenix Suns, while the Warriors suffered a wild heartbreaker to the
Utah Jazz, during which they blew a four-point lead in the final 13 seconds.

But Golden State showed yet again that the team can hang with the best
of them when it’s locked in on both ends of the court.

“We came out with a lot of energy,” Poole said. “We knew that we had a
big task ahead of us and got locked in, looked at the scouting report,
and got a big win.”

Defensively, that started by focusing on Jayson Tatum. With Wiggins
sidelined with a strained thigh muscle (he’s scheduled to be reevaluated
Monday), Thompson and Jonathan Kuminga were the two main guys tasked
with hampering Tatum.

Thompson blocked Tatum within the first two minutes of the game, setting
a tone for what was to come for the Celtics star. Tatum scored only 10
points in the first half before finishing the night with 18 points on 6
of 21 shooting.

Limiting Tatum was a “collective effort,” Thompson acknowledged. Looking
back, the Warriors star said the early-game block on Tatum might’ve been
his “favorite moment” of the night. Meanwhile, Curry said Thompson’s
defensive performance against Boston was reminiscent of his pre-injury self.

“He made plays on both ends,” Curry said. “Offensively, the game was
connected. When you’re locked in defensively, you’re worried about the
things that impact the flow of the game and your matchup and your
challenge there, and usually you’re rewarded with looks and good rhythm
and flow on offense and it’s just about making shots. We know he can do
that. So it was great to see everything connect on both ends for him and
for our team.”

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Thompson finished with his second 30-plus point game of the season,
scoring a team-high 34 points while shooting 14-for-26 from the field
and 4-for-11 from deep. He also had five rebounds and two assists. Curry
added 32 going 12-for-21 from the field and 6-for-11 from 3. He also had
six rebounds and a team-high seven assists.

Kuminga added 14 points on an efficient 6 of 9 shooting off the bench
that included an open corner 3. He also had five rebounds and three assists.

Meanwhile, Brown led the Celtics with 21 points, nine rebounds and three
assists.

The Warriors outrebounded Boston 53-39, and they dished out nine more
assists than their opponent.

After the game, there was a general feeling among the Warriors that they
needed a win like Saturday’s.

“Especially after Utah,” Thompson said. “That was a terrible experience.
To kind of respond the way that we did felt great. We were able to flush
that one in Salt Lake after that collapse, so it is always nice to
respond with a great performance, and we did that tonight.”

The Warriors improve to 12-2 at home and 14-13 overall. Why Golden State
has struggled outside the Bay remains a mystery. But the team will be
tested over the next two weeks as it plays six games in nine days on the
road.

“It’s gonna be a tough trip,” Kerr said. “A lot of good teams but a
great challenge for us and we feel like this [win over Boston] should
give us a little confidence and hopefully it carries over.”