You would’ve thought free food was being passed out in the
parking lot the way Oracle Arena cleared out. When Boston Celtics
forward Paul Pierce got free for a breakaway dunk Tuesday, it not
only put the Warriors down by 18 points and sparked the mass
exodus. It was the proverbial nail in the coffin of a 115-93
Warriors loss and an end to Golden State’s home dominance over
Boston.
OAKLAND
You would’ve thought free food was being passed out in the parking lot the way Oracle Arena cleared out.
When Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce got free for a breakaway dunk Tuesday, it not only put the Warriors down by 18 points and sparked the mass exodus. It was the proverbial nail in the coffin of a 115-93 Warriors loss and an end to Golden State’s home dominance over Boston.
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Golden State (26-30) had its three-game win streak snapped. The Warriors had won six straight over the Celtics in Oakland. Boston’s Big Three — guard Ray Allen, small forward Paul Pierce and power forward Kevin Garnett — had yet to win in three tries at Oracle.
Warriors coach Keith Smart, explaining the streak, said the Warriors get up to play Boston while Boston hadn’t found playing at Golden State to be a big deal.
But Tuesday, the Celtics looked fully invested in the second half. They played defense like the championship contenders they are, and the Warriors looked every bit the inferior team.
Golden State finished shooting 39.3 percent from the field. Monta Ellis needed 18 shots to get 15 points. Stephen Curry had 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting but turned the ball over five times. Forwards David Lee (17 points) and Dorell Wright (19) combined to shoot 13 of 30 from the field.
The Celtics, who out-rebounded the Warriors by 17, got 24 points and 12 rebounds from Garnett. Point guard Rajon Rondo tormented the Warriors defense to the tune of 19 points and 15 assists and was a big reason the Celtics shot 55.6 percent from the field.
You would never know it by the final score, but the game was tied at 60 at halftime.
Perhaps that was a good thing, considering the Warriors allowed the Celtics to shoot 56.3 percent from the field in the first half. Led by Rondo, Boston carved up the Warriors for 19 first-half assists on 27 made baskets. So the Warriors were doing well to be tied.
Or, perhaps, being tied was a missed opportunity considering the Warriors led by eight points midway through the second quarter. With the game tied at 40, Curry led the Warriors on a 12-5 run to take a 52-45 lead at the 4:27 mark of the second quarter. Curry scored eight points during the run.
But not a minute later, Curry picked up his third foul and went to the bench. The Celtics followed with a run to close the quarter with a 12-7 run to send the game into the locker room tied.
Boston’s defense turned it up a notch in the third quarter and the Warriors struggled. The Warriors missed 14 of their 21 shots and turned the ball over five times in the third quarter. Ellis was 3 for 10 from the field in the quarter and Curry had three of the turnovers.
Rondo’s 3-pointer at the buzzer put the Warriors down 88-78 entering the fourth quarter. The Warriors got as close as four, but their offense was too futile. Golden State was 5-for-18 shooting in the final quarter.
The Warriors now have one home game remaining, Friday against Atlanta, on the 22-game stretch they highlighted as critical. They are 12-9 so far on the stretch, which will be followed by a seven-game road trip that starts Sunday.
— Story by Marcus Thompson II, Contra Costa Times
