What Stood Out from Celtics' Win vs. Warriors: Boston's Defense Stifles Golden State

The Celtics' 110-88 win over the Warriors moves Boston into fourth in the East.

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Whether in Oakland or San Francisco, six of the last seven times the Warriors have welcomed the Celtics into their building, Boston has left with a win.

Wednesday, a dominant defensive effort paved the way for a 110-88 victory that moves Boston into fourth in the East, one game back of the third-seeded Sixers and two behind the second-place Bucks.

Now, for a look at what stood out from Wednesday's win.

Boston's Defense Has One of Its Best Performances of the Season

The NBA's top-ranked defense set the tone early, playing physically, taking away space, and blowing up the Warriors' actions with their switch-heavy scheme.

That led to Golden State shooting 4/24 (16.7 percent) from beyond the arc in the first half. That included Marcus Smart, who had one of his best games this season, helping contain Stephen Curry, who went 1/4 with three points that came with Al Horford matched up on him on Golden State's first possession of the game.

And with the Warriors reluctant to challenge Robert Williams at the rim, they put just 32 points on the board, their lowest-scoring half this season.

In the play below, Curry swings the ball to Jonathan Kuminga, who gets it to Draymond Green in the low post. Curry and Kuminga then go into a staggered screen, and instead of coming off it, Klay Thompson dives to the rim. Smart picks him up to take that option away, and Al Horford has his arms extended and both feet in the paint. 

That leaves Jaylen Brown needing to fight over the screen from Kuminga to get to Curry. Brown does an excellent job getting around the pick, staying low, and avoiding contact from Kuminga's left knee. Then, he quickly covers the remaining ground, lunging to contest Curry's shot as he's rising to release it, and the ball clanks off the rim.

On this next play, Jordan Poole thinks he has a layup after a give-and-go with Damion Lee, but Robert Williams swoops in to protect the rim, registering one of his game-high four blocks.

Williams' abilities as a rim-protecting free safety were again on display in the second quarter. In the play below, Poole swings the ball to Green at the top of the key and acts as if he'll get it back on a handoff. Instead, he reverses course and sells that he's screening for Thompson. 

Jayson Tatum is preparing to switch, and Smart is watching Green while keeping a hand on Thompson. So when Poole dives to the rim, neither stay with him, but seeing this unfold, Williams rotates over, and he again blocks Poole's shot.

Golden State's 37-point third quarter is a topic explored later in this article, but after holding the Warriors to 17 in the first frame, Boston limited them to 15 in the second and 19 in the final frame.

In the loss, Golden State made just 37.2 percent of its shots from the field, including going 11/48 (22.9 percent) on threes.

Defensively, the Celtics have reached a point where the five on the floor see the game through one set of eyes, and they're operating on the same wavelength.

Foot Injury Forces Curry Out of the Game in the Second Quarter

With less than 4:30 to play in the second quarter, Smart and Curry were in pursuit of a loose ball, and the former took to the floor. Unfortunately, the former, unintentionally, bumped the latter's knee, and Curry's foot got caught underneath Smart.

The Warriors staff was upset with both of these Marcus Smart plays. First one was a roll up of Steph Curry's leg that has him currently in the locker room, second ruled a flagrant on Klay Thompson. Kerr was telling refs to review both plays, mimicking a leg chop to officials. pic.twitter.com/6edSJxQszv

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 17, 2022

Smart got a flagrant foul for the leg kick after Klay Thompson got him to bite on the pump fake, and Curry left the game after the whistle, and due to left foot soreness, he did not return.

Wanting to stick up for his player, Steve Kerr proceeded to get into a verbal exchange with Smart while the Celtics were shooting free throws.

The interaction between Marcus Smart and Steve Kerr after Steph Curry was headed for the locker room. pic.twitter.com/y0NbQ20Upp

— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) March 17, 2022

After the game, Smart said he's "really down" about Curry getting hurt and having to leave the game. He also shared that he and Kerr spoke after the final whistle in a conversation he said was calmer.

"He's doing what any coach, any person, any player would do, and that's backing up his guys," Smart said. He also relayed that Kerr, who he's built a relationship with from their time together with USA Basketball, told him, "You're one of the guys I wish I had on my team."

Tide Turns in the Third Quarter

The Warriors didn't have Curry, and Thompson struggled to find his rhythm, scoring 18 points on 24 shots and going 1/11 from beyond the arc, but Jordan Poole rallied the home team in the third quarter.

Now in his third year, the former Michigan Wolverine erupted for 19 of his 29 points in the third frame. Poole went 7/8 (87.5 percent) from the field, knocking down five of his six threes (83.3 percent), injecting energy into a Warriors team and Chase Center crowd that was flat.

When the third quarter ended, Poole and company had cut a 24-point Boston lead down to 10.

Celtics Pull Away in the Fourth

Boston's bench was helping the cause defensively but combined for only eight points through the first three quarters. Derrick White, in particular, struggled, finishing the game 0/8 from the field, including not converting on any of his five attempts from beyond the arc.

He's had trouble in that area all season, and now, it seems like its creeping into his head. There was an instance in the second quarter where he turned the ball over after passing up a clean look at a three, and after the play, Ime Udoka encouraged him to let it fly next time.

While the second unit was quiet scoring-wise in the first three quarters, Payton Pritchard stepped up in the fourth. The second-year guard knocked down four of his seven shots (57.1 percent), including a pair of threes.

Pritchard scored all of his 10 points in the fourth quarter, the most by anyone in the frame, helping ensure the Celtics didn't let this game slip away.

In the win, Smart, whose defense got highlighted earlier, was also outstanding on the other end, registering 20 points on eight of 12 shooting (66.7 percent), including going 4/7 (57.1 percent) from long range. Beyond that, he dished out a game-high eight assists, grabbed four rebounds, and didn't commit a single turnover.

Afterward, Smart got asked if he needed to say anything about his play as the Celtics point guard. To that, he answered: "I don't need to. I'll just let my game say, 'I told you so.' I'm just doing what I need to do to help us win. I don't need to say anything.

"It took eight years to get it, it's my turn, and I'm doing everything I can to take full advantage of my opportunity."

The Celtics also got 26 points, a team-high, from Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. The latter generated 12 free throws, converting on 11 of them, and he pulled in a game-best 12 rebounds. Plus, Tatum dished out four assists. Meanwhile, Brown got to the line for seven shots from the charity stripe, capitalizing on six of them, and he corralled seven rebounds, distributed three assists, and earned a game-high plus-minus rating of plus-26.

Up Next

The next stop on the Celtics' west coast trip is Sacramento for a game against the Kings on Friday night. Tip-off is at 10:00 ET. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game coming out before, during, and after. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.

Further Reading

[Photos and Videos] Celtics Raise Kevin Garnett's #5 to the Rafters

What Stood Out from Celtics' Loss vs. Mavericks: Boston Outplayed in Second Half

Profile on Celtics' Latest Signing, Nik Stauskas

Profile on Celtics' Newest Signing, Matt Ryan

The Trials, Tribulations, and Growth of Ime Udoka in His First Year as Celtics' Head Coach