Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
What Stood Out from Game 2 of the NBA Finals: Turnovers Plague Celtics as Warriors Protect Home Court
The challenge of winning the first two games on the road is arduous, no matter the series. But attempting to do so against a team with championship pedigree raises the difficulty. It requires a team playing at its best.
The Celtics were levels below that on Sunday. They shot 15/37 (40.5 percent) percent from beyond the arc, and Jayson Tatum produced a team-high 28 points, but 19 turnovers leading to 33 Golden State points forced them to play from behind for most of the night.
Credit the Warriors, they raised their level of physicality, played with more pace, and once they seized control of the game, they never let it slip.
Now, for a deep dive into how they tied the series with a 107-88 win.
Turnovers Cost Celtics Their First-Quarter Lead
As expected, the Warriors started the game with urgency, something seen in their level of physicality on the opening possession as Draymond Green wrestled for the ball with Al Horford, forcing a jump ball. Golden State then fought to prevent Robert Williams from scoring on a lob to him at the rim.
But after Andrew Wiggins stepped into a three for the first points of the night, the Celtics responded with an 8-0 run. That included Marcus Smart getting into the paint with little resistance for a layup and two left-wing threes by Jaylen Brown. The second one put Boston ahead 8-3.
A play that stood out in the early going was when Wiggins came off a Kevon Looney screen, attacked downhill and tried Horford at the basket, only to get his shot erased.
At the 5:30 mark, Gary Payton II checked in to a standing ovation. It's Payton II's first time playing in a little over a month due to a fractured left elbow.
With 4:47 remaining, after Green knocked over Grant Williams, but the latter got called for a foul, the two stayed in each others' airspace and continued jawing with each other, resulting in Green picking up a technical.
Entering the second quarter, the Warriors held a 31-30 advantage. The Celtics led most of the frame, but seven turnovers, leading to 13 points for Golden State, cost them the lead.
The Warriors also took nine free throws, though they only made five of them, one more than Boston, who went 4/4 at the foul line.
Stephen Curry finished the opening period with a team-high 10 points, helping the hosts shoot 4/9 (44.4 percent) from beyond the arc after they started 1/5.
As for the Celtics, they consistently produced quality shots in the half court and transition, translating to shooting 50 percent from the field, including 6/10 on threes.
Brown led all scorers with 13 points on 4/6 shooting, including 3/4 from long range. Tatum got hot from beyond the arc late in the quarter, matching Brown's 13 points, going 4/10 from the field and 3/4 on threes.
Also, Boston didn't give up a single offensive rebound and did well defending Golden State's split cuts. Losing the lead was primarily related to turnovers.
Celtics Continue Shooting Well from Beyond the Arc, But Turnovers Plague Them
About 30 seconds into the frame, after a Tatum turnover, Derrick White made a terrific effort to deny Jordan Poole a transition layup. Poole nearly picked up a technical afterwards, but the officials overturned it after reviewing what happened.
Nemanja Bjelica made an impact in the second quarter that included four-straight Golden State points at the rim, tying the game at 35 with 8:49 to play in the first half.
With the Celtics up by five and just under seven minutes remaining, Curry sparked a 10-run by the Warriors, drilling a step-back jumper from inside the arc, followed by a pull-up three from 27 feet. After that, Green found Payton II for a reverse layup, and Wiggins buried a three from above the break, giving Golden State a 45-40 advantage with 4:53 left.
After an Ime Udoka timeout, Brown attacked from the right wing, drawing Payton II over to help, and Brown dished to Tatum for a three that ended the hosts 10-0 run and made it 45-43.
With 54.3 seconds left, Green backed into Brown after the latter launched a three, sending them both to the ground. Green got whistled for a foul, but a displeased Brown threw Green's legs off of him. Green told Brown, "don't do that," and Brown stood over Green.
Usually, the result is a double technical, but nothing got called beyond the foul. That seems like a wise ruling given the context and that Green would've gotten ejected.
Golden State took a 52-50 lead into halftime. Curry led the Warriors with 15 points while Wiggins chipped in ten.
The hosts also started making Boston pay with well-timed cuts, often coming from the corner to get a layup. They generated 24 points in the paint. Twenty five of their 44 shots came from that area of the floor. They went 12/25 (48 percent) on those looks.
Golden State assisted on 15 of 20 field goals, shooting 45.5 percent from the field, including 6/16 (37.5 percent) from beyond the arc.
The Celtics hurt themselves throughout the first half by committing 11 turnovers, translating to 18 points for the Warriors.
Outside of that, they did a lot right as Tatum entered the break with a game-high 21 points. Brown had 15, and White scored eight off the bench.
Boston didn't shoot well from the field (38.6 percent), but knocked down 10/19 (52.6 percent) of their threes. The Celtics assisted on 12/17 field goals. As stated at the end of the first frame, it's a matter of taking care of the ball.
Warriors Outscore Celtics 35-14 in the Third Quarter
At the 9:23 mark, after missing his first four attempts, Klay Thompson finally knocked down his first three of the game. It gave Golden State a 59-52 advantage.
For the second game in a row, the Warriors got off to a hot start in the third quarter, as they're prone to do. They went on a 13-2 run, outscoring Boston 15-4 to open the frame, after Wiggins went 1/2 at the free-throw line, putting them ahead 65-54 with 7:37 to play in the period.
With 6:47 remaining, Ime Udoka picked up a technical for his displeasure about the way the game's getting governed. Curry made the ensuing free throw, giving Golden State a 68-56 lead.
With 5:46 to go and the score still 68-56, Steve Kerr signaled for a timeout. There's a lot of time left to overcome what happens next, but with the Warriors outplaying the Celtics to start the second half, leading by 12, this is one of the game's more important junctures.
Boston responded out of the break with a Marcus Smart steal and threes by Grant Williams and Tatum, a 6-0 run that cut the deficit to 68-62.
But Otto Porter hit a left-corner three, Curry picked off a pass from Horford, and Green earned a trip to the line, where he made both shots to put the hosts ahead 73-62 with 3:35 remaining.
The foul that sent Green to the line was on Smart, his fourth personal, prompting Udoka to sub Payton Pritchard in for him.
With 2:53 left, Curry came off a Payton II screen and stepped into a three that extended Golden State's run to 8-0. He then buried a pull-up off a high-ball screen from Porter, swishing a shot from 30 feet that gave the Warriors a 79-62 advantage. It also gave Curry a game-high 29 points.
With just under 30 seconds on the clock, Jordan Poole drilled a three from 29 feet. He followed it up by burying a shot from just over half court as the quarter closed, sending the Warriors into the final frame with an 87-64 lead.
Warriors Quickly Put the Game on Ice
Golden State opened the fourth quarter on a 6-0 run, including another Poole three and a Bjelica breakaway bucket at the rim after a Horford turnover. His basket gave the hosts a 93-64 advantage. After that, Udoka took a timeout and emptied his bench.
In the Celtics' 107-88 loss, Tatum finished with a team-high 28 points. However, his performance felt more impactful in Game 1 when he punished the Warriors with his passing, distributing 13 assists, including nine that went for threes, an NBA Finals record.
Brown scored 13 points in the first quarter on Sunday, but he ended the night with 17. And while Boston shot 15/37 (40.5 percent) from beyond the arc, the visitors committed 19 turnovers, leading to 33 points for Golden State. That issue offset what the Celtics did well and forced them to play from behind for most of the game.
As for the Warriors, Curry generated a game-high 29 points. And while Green's nine points, seven assists, and five rebounds might not jump off the stat sheet, he had a massive impact on the outcome, setting the tone defensively and playing with an urgency and physicality his team fed off.
Golden State also drilled 15/37 (40.5 percent) threes and produced 40 points in the paint as the Warriors tied the series at one.
Up Next
Game 3 of the NBA Finals is Wednesday night. Tip-off is at 9:00 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
The Anatomy of the Celtics' Fourth-Quarter Comeback in Game 1 of NBA Finals
Celtics, Jayson Tatum Discuss His Growth as a Facilitator After He Sets NBA Finals Record
What Stood Out in Game 1 of the NBA Finals: Celtics' Take Series Opener with Fourth-Quarter Haymaker
Tony Parker Sizes Up the NBA Finals, Talks Ime Udoka and His Collaboration with MTN Dew LEGEND
