Golden State Warriors 107 vs 97 Boston Celtics summary: scores and highlights | Game 4 NBA Finals
The Golden State Warriors are headed home with a road win and the series even at 2-2 after Game 4 on Friday night. Steph Curry exploded for 43 points to lead the Warriors in the 107-97 win.
Warriors respond after beat down on boards
There were a lot of questions surrounding Golden State after their Game 3 loss at TD Garden after they were beaten up on the boards and out muscled all game long. Steve Kerr’s side looked like a different team in Game 4, as they came out and went toe-to-toe with the bigger, more athletic Celtics squad.
The Warriors don’t have a big roster, and it showed in Game 3. They were out rebounded 47-31, but Steve Kerr made sure that wouldn’t be the case on Friday night. Golden State would not just close the gap, but beat Boston 61-49 on the battle of the boards.
Unlike the first three games, Friday night both teams kept within arms reach for the entire game. Before the last few seconds of the game, the largest advantage for either team was seven points as the lead went back and forth through the 48 minutes.
Curry's ankle was just fine
No one knew how Steph Curry’s ankle would hold up after he was injured in the final minute of Game 3 in a tussle with Al Horford. If there any doubts going into the game, Curry eased those immediately.
Curry had 12 points in the first quarter, just as Boston’s superstar Jayson Tatum did after the opening 12 minutes. While Tatum had help throughout the game, Curry was left doing the brunt of the scoring for Golden State who didn’t see Klay Thompson activate until the fourth quarter.
Wiggins sets career high
If Game 3 proved anything, it was that the Warriors can’t win with just Curry and Thompson, and on Friday night it was Andrew Wiggins who answered the call as he has done so often this postseason. The former first overall draft pick had 17 points and 16 rebounds to set the tone on the boards for Golden State. Kevon Looney had 11 rebounds, and Curry had 10 to complete his double-double.
The trio of Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart had the Celtics up four points with five minutes to go in the fourth quarter, but Boston would go cold for the remainder of the game.
Curry and Thompson took over during the Celtics drought and ended the game on a 17-3 run to secure the Game 4 win. Curry finished with 43 points and 10 rebounds, while Wiggins set a career high with 16 rebonds. Thompson had 18 including some big shots late on to help seal the victory.
The series now heads west all square at 2-2. Game 5 will be Monday at 9 p.m. ET from the Chase Center.
Curry was tired of all the talk since Game 3 and wanted him and his team to silence the doubters. They did that on Friday night.
This was the nail in the coffin for the Celtics.
Thompson gave the Warriors the lead, and they would hang on to it until the end.
Wiggins went wild on the glass, pulling down 16 rebounds. Few were bigger than this one.
Thompson didn't have a great game, but he had big buckets in important moments of the game.
And he knew he got fouled on this three.
This got Curry fired up in the second half. He thought he got fouled on this shot.
Curry is such a great shooter, that sometimes he doesn't get credit for his rebounding. He had 10 in Game 4
MOre defense leading to offense. The Warriors forced 15 Celtics turnovers.
The Warriors were much more physical in Game 4, and their defense led to easy offense.
Steph started hot and stayed hot. He had 12 in the first quarter to get his night going.
Thompson got the first Warriors bucket of the game, but then was quiet until late on.
It's all over! The Warriors take Game 4 in Boston and will head back to San Fran tied at 2-2.
Curry back to the line and this is just a matter of time now.
Curry to the line and he hits one of two.
The fans are filtering out of TD Garden as they can sense this series is evening up at 2-2.
Curry at the line after the call is upheld. He hits two of two and he's got 40 on the night.
Horford called for the foul, but the Celtis will challenge to see if Curry pushed off of Horford. 46 seconds to go.
Green finds Looney and Looney gets the biggest basket of the night. Two possession game with under a minute left.
Horford in the corner for three out of the timeout!
Curry with a hand in his face and he still drills the three! He's got 38 on the night!!
The Warriors come up with a stop and call a timeout with 3:21 to go and a three point lead.
Curry dancing around the perimeter gets around Williams and drops the one footed floater! He's got 35 on the night. Timeout BOS with 3:41 to go.
Thompson from the top of the key and he gives the Warriors the lead back.
Wiggins on the put back again! He's got 17 and 14 rebounds.
Smart with the shot clock expiring hits the three ball! How big has he been on the offensive end for Boston
5:33 to go in the fourth quarter.
Wiggins gets his own rebound and the put back! He's got 15.
Thompson stops, turns and hits in the paint. He's got 15.
Smart was fouled on the Brown made shot, so he goes to the line and hits the one FT.
Brown falling to the ground, flips it up and somehow it goes in! Those are the plays you see and think, maybe it is their night. Brown has 21.
Brown goes strong to the rack and he gets the lay up to go.
Poole on the drive to the basket and the Celtics were slow getting back on that possession.
Brown falling away from the basket with Green in his face and he still makes the mid range jumper.
Thompson on the catch and shoot three ball! He's got 13 on 5-14 shooting.
Tatum off the pump fake and he drills the three ball.
Poole with the jumper, and he's got 12 off the bench.
White in the corner again for three!!! He's 3/4 from downtown.
The fourth quarter is underway in Game 4 from Boston!
The third quarter comes to an end, but not before Steph Curry has another fantastic 3rd quarter. He scored 14 of his 33 in the third.
Curry answers back with a three ball in the corner! He's got 33 on the night.
Horford drops the three ball and TD Garden explodes!
Poole finds Payton slashing to the basket and he gets an easy lay up
Payton goes to the line and hits one of two.
Tatum on the clean up duties after Smart got his shot blocked. Tatum has 20 on the night.
Curry gets another three ball to go and got hit by Tatum on the follow through. He's furious that for a second straight three he hasn't got a call on. Timeout Celtics with 2:31 to go in the third.
Smart getting back into the paint and getting the roll on the short jumper.
Curry pulls up from the top of the key against great defense and still drops it.
Wiggins on the spin and the jump hook. He's got 13.
White wide open in the corner for three! He's got 13 on the night.
Looney on the pump fake off the pass from Curry.
Smart stopping in the lane and gets the short jumper to go. Timeout GS with 6:14 to go in the third quarter.
Curry on the catch and shoot, knocks down the three ball! He's got 24 on the night.
Brown gets bumped, tosses up a prayer and it's answered! He goes to the line and completes the three point play.
Porter to the line and he hits both.
Thompson drops a jumper from the elbow
Tatum at the line and he hits two of two.
Williams down low again! He's been so big on the offensive end for Boston.
Green on the tip slam, but he's been off tonight. Can that get him going?
Smart strings a three ball! And then strips Green and gets the easy slam.
Thompson for three! And is GS about to have one of their famous third quarters?
Curry off the bank to get the second half started.
Look at the finish from Brown. He's got 12 on the night.
TD Garden has been buzzing in Boston
Curry got hot at the end of the first quarter. He ended the first half with a game high 19.
Tatum got off to a hot start. He's got 16 on the night.
Robert Willimas has been huge on the defensive end and on the boards for the Celtics.
Thompson got the scoring going for the Warriors, but he's got just 5 points after two quarters.
Tatum has 16 points to lead the Cetlics. Brown has 12 and White has 10 after the first two quarters.
Steph Curry leads all scorers with 19 points. Wiggins has 11 and Poole has 10 after the first half.
We are at the end of the first half and the Celtics are up by five in Game 4.
Looney on the tip slam off the miss.
Tatum spinning to the cup and gets the finger roll to go.
White wide open for three! He's got 10 first half points.
Wiggins gets the rebound and goes coast to coast with the euro step finish.
Curry with the floater and the foul! Brown picks up his third and Curry hits the FT. He's got 19 on the night.
White gets fouled, and falling to the floor throws it up and gets it to drop. FT is good and the Celtics are on a 10-0 run.
Horford to the line after a foul on Wiggins and he hits both.
Smart open for three in the corner and he drops it! He had 24 last game.
Brown to the rack and he gets it to go.
Payton is gifted a bucket after the Celtics try to save it under their own basket.
Wiggins goes to the line after the foul on Brown. He hits one of two.
Timeout Warriors with 5:50 to go in the half.
Brown hanging in the air switching hands and gets the lay up to go! Jordanesque right there from Brown.
Tatum gets down low and manuvers his way into space to finish under the rim.
Curry dashes to the rack and gets the lay up.
Kerr just got a techinical for arguing Pritchard traveled before a foul. Tatum missed the FT, but Pritchard goes to the line and hits one of two.
Curry on the follow with the offensive board and put back.
Brown drills the three and gets fouled by Thompson! He goes to the line and misses the FT.
Poole off the dribble, shaking Wiliams off him and hitting the elbow jumper.
Brown strings a three, and Boston will be happy to see that jumper looking good after he hurt his shoulder on a Green screen earlier in the game.
Poole with another three from the same spot! He's got back-to-back threes and eight points tonight.
Poole off the dribble from the top of the key for three!
We are at the end of the first quarter and it's been back and forth so far in Game 4.
Tatum and Curry both have 12. Wiggins has 8 for the Warriors while Robert Williams has been huge on the rebounding end with 5 points and 5 rebounds.
G. Williams left wide open in the corner and he drills the three!
Poole going right into the body of Williams and he gets the bucket to go.
Tatum with another three ball and he's got 12.
Steph high off the glass on the baseline drive over Williams.
Williams with another offensive board and put back. He's got 5 points and 5 rebounds.
Jaylen Brown says hello to Game 4 with a drive to the basket and a lay up with the right hand.
Curry on the step back three and that's back-to-back triples for Curry and the Warriors.
Curry on the pull up from the top of the key.
Wiggins on the turn around J on the baseline. He's had a nice start with 8 points.
White to the line, and he hits two of two.
Wiggins from the top of the key for three. He's got two threes already.
White to the line after getting fouled by Green.
Tatum turns and hits a jumper, he's got 9 points already.
Wiggins ties up the game after Looney picks up the offensive rebound.
Thompson with a three ball for his first points since GS's opener.
We have our first timeout from Boston with 6:12 to go in the first quarter.
Williams hitting the boards hard again, and earns a trip to the line. One of two FTs good for Williams
Green with the steal and he releases Curry to the basket for an easy lay up off the fast break.
Tatum with another three ball! He's got 7.
Williams cleaning up the offensive rebounds and gets the put back. That was a big stroyline in Game 3.
Tatum drains a three ball right in Wiggins face and he looks in the mood tonight.
Curry to the line after a foul on Smart. He hits two of two from the line.
Tatum fouled by Curry, goes to the line and hits one of two. GS can't afford to have Curry in foul trouble like he was last game.
Thompson gets his night going early with a lay up. He came to life in Game 3 after a slow first two games.
Williams starts the night off with a pick and roll to the basket.
We are underway from Boston in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
Tonight's odds
According to Bet365.com the Celtics are 4 point favorites and the Over/Under is 213.5. I thought the Warriors might win one in Boston, but after watching Game 3 and the utter dominance Boston showed down low I just can’t see Golden State winning tonight, unless Steph and Klay do something extraordinary. I’m taking the Celtics to win, and to cover the spread.
Otto Porter Jr. is in the Warriors starting five for the first time in the Finals. He takes Kevon Looney's place, as Steve Kerr looks for a way to counter the Celtics physicality.
No change in the Celtics starting five tonight. Robert Williams has been battling a sore right knee, but is back in the starting five and looking to make an impact on the defensive end.
Defense winning Games 1, 2 and 3
Each game in the series has been defined by an outstanding defensive quarter that swung the favor for the would be winner. Boston shut Golden State down in the fourth quarter holding them to just 16 points, to secure a 12 point comeback in the final twelve minutes of Game 1. It was the third quarter of Game 2 where the Warriors locked in defensively and held the Celtics to 14 points to build a big lead they would hold until the end of the game. In Game 3 it was the Celtics D stepping up and securing the victory, holding Golden State to 11 points in the final quarter.
Curry hurt?
The loss was painful enough for Golden State, but there was a big scare for the Warriors with four minutes left in the game when Steph Curry went down after a clash with Al Horford who landed on Curry’s leg. He stayed on the floor in visible pain, but would continue playing until two minutes left in the game when the Celtics had already put the game away. He had 31 in Game 3 and is averaging 31.3 ppg, and is expected to play tonight. "We'll see how it responds," Curry said. "Not much (else) to say. I don't feel like I'll miss a game. Take advantage of these next 48 hours to get ready."
Steph's warm ups are always must see, tonight he added a little volleyball to the bag of tricks.
The Celtics stars coming into TD Garden rocking the green drip.
Smart the Cetlics secret to success
Marcus Smart is the captain of the Celtics defensive unit and the Defensive Player of the Year, but in this series his has shown his ability to be a game changer on the offensive end of the court. He had 24 points and five assists, and 18 in the Game 1 loss. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will always put up their numbers, but the Celtics need guys like Smart, Horford and White to show up
Celtics consistency
The Celtics proved yet again that they are a very difficult team to beat twice in a row. They have bounced back in every game after a loss to make it a perfect 7-0 including the Game 3 win in Boston on Wednesday night. They haven’t lost consecutive games since January, and if they carry on that trend the rest of the series, they will be NBA Champions.
Jordan Poole had a fantastic flash in Game 2, but has been quiet otherwise in his first NBA Finals. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson will need him to step up tonight in Game 4, and he was at TD Garden early getting his shot ready.
Green looking in mirror for Game 3 loss
Draymond Green was not shy about pointing the finger at himself after the Game 3 loss. The Warriors were out rebounded 47-31 and Green had just four of those rebounds. "I just think I never found a rhythm, really on both ends of the floor," Green said. "Not enough force. But just got to find a rhythm quicker. ... I was soft. That's what was most disappointing to me."
Tatum loving the Finals buzz in Boston
Jayson Tatum spoke about the electricity in the building at TD Garden after more than a decade long Finals drought. "This is the finals, it's big," said Tatum. "But at the same time, you want to keep that same focus of we've got a game on Friday, we've got to lock in and things like that. When you walk in the Garden and it's already filled while you're warming up, you definitely notice a different energy."
There is no where in the world the Celitcs would rather be than at the TD Garden for the biggest game of the year.
It's not do-or-die for the Warriors tonight, but things would get very difficult going forward if they lose tonight.
Game 3 recap
As we saw in the first two games, a period of defensive dominance was enough to decide a winner in Game 3. The Celtics jumped out to an early double digit lead over the Warriors thanks to a brilliant first quarter from Jaylen Brown and his 17 points. The lead would hover around 10 for most of the game, until Steph Curry went off in the third quarter, and Golden State momentarily took the lead after a 7 point possession that involved Curry getting fouled on a three, resulting in a flagrant on Al Horford, a made free throw and an Otto Porter Jr. three pointer. The lead was short lived and the Celtics quickly stretched the lead back to double digits while holding the Warriors to just 11 points in the fourth quarter.
We are live from Boston
Hello everyone and welcome to TD Garden once again. The Celtics didn’t disappoint their home fans in their first home Finals match under their own roof in over a decade. Now the Warriors will try to steal one away from home tonight, but they will have to figure out a way to counter Boston’s size and physicality on display in Game 3.
Warriors vs. Celtics Game 3
The Boston Celtics are back at home with a 2-1 series lead in the NBA Finals and have a chance to take a commanding lead before heading back west. AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, scores, highlights and analysis for tonight’s Game 4.