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The Golden State Warriors picked up where they left off in June, riding Stephen Curry’s long-range shooting and a defense that frustrated Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum for a 123-107 victory in a rematch of the NBA Finals in San Francisco on Saturday night, December 10 (Sunday, December 11, Manila time).
The clubs, who played a six-game Finals series won 4-2 by Golden State, will meet again on January 19 in Boston.
Klay Thompson poured in a game-high 34 points, Curry had 32, and Jordan Poole 20 as the Warriors were able to outgun the league’s top offensive team without Andrew Wiggins, who missed his third straight game with a strained right adductor.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 31 points, but Tatum was held to 18 points on 6-for-21 shooting and 2-for-9 on three-pointers as Boston was outshot 51.1% to 43.7%t overall and outscored 39-36 from beyond the arc.
The Warriors trailed only briefly, and never by more than one point, before building a 14-point lead late in the third quarter.
Seeking a fourth consecutive win to begin a six-game trip, the Celtics got within 8 on two occasions in the fourth period, the last time when Derrick White hit a pair of free throws with still 5:29 to play.
But Tatum missed two free throws with a chance to close the gap to 6, and when Kevon Looney and Draymond Green dropped in interior hoops and Curry buried his sixth three-pointer of the game, Golden State regained command at 114-99 with just 3:51 left.
Curry, the Finals MVP, shot 12-for-21 overall and 6-for-11 on treys. He also found time for 6 rebounds and a game-high 7 assists.
Thompson added four three-pointers in 11 attempts as part of a 14-for-26 performance.
Jonathan Kuminga, who went scoreless in the Finals, chipped in 14 points off the Golden State bench, while Green finished with 11 points and Looney with a game-high 15 rebounds and 2 blocks to complement 7 points.
Brown, the Celtics’ leading rebounder with 9, went 13-for-23 from the field. Boston was without Robert Williams and Al Horford.
Malcolm Brogdon had 16 points off the Boston bench, while Marcus Smart, who had a team-high 5 assists, and Blake Griffin added 13 points apiece. – Rappler.com
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