Golden State Blows Out Boston 107-88, Ties Series 1-1

Game 2

On Sunday night, the Golden State Warriors hosted the Boston Celtics in game 2 of the NBA Finals. In game 1, the Celtics made a big comeback to defeat the Warriors 120-108. Therefore, this was a must-win game for Golden State since they already went down 1-0 and lost home-court advantage. They needed to win so they could tie the series 1-1, instead of going down 2-0 with the next two games being in Boston. Meanwhile, Boston had a chance to take a commanding lead in the series, but they needed to have another great game.

In the first quarter, Boston started the game on a 10-3 run. Jaylen Brown had a great start as he scored six quick points during this run. The Celtics extended the lead up to eight points early during the quarter, but Golden State started to score more consistently. Also, Brown picked up two early fouls during the quarter, which meant he would miss most of the first half. The Celtics’ offense did not do too well as a result, which led to the Warriors scoring more. Stephen Curry was able to make multiple three-point shots and free throws during the quarter. Late in the quarter, both teams were making three-point shots as Jayson Tatum made two three-pointers, but Golden State responded since Jordan Poole and Gary Payton II made three-pointers. Curry made a jump shot near the end of the quarter to give the Warriors a 31-30 lead. Both teams were playing well offensively as many players were making field goals.

Then, during the second quarter, both teams would continue to play well. The Celtics were able to take a five-point lead halfway through the quarter thanks to two field goals by Derrick White. Golden State made a quick response though since Curry, Wiggins, and Payton led the Warriors on a 10-0 run. The momentum was constantly shifting throughout the quarter since both teams were scoring and making runs. Tatum and White would continue to score for Boston during the quarter to help them take a small lead. Brown made a few free throws near the end of the quarter, but Wiggins scored the last two field goals for the Warriors during the quarter, which led to Golden State leading 52-50 at halftime. Both teams played great defense, which explains why the score was so close at halftime. Golden State needed Klay Thompson to score more as he was very inefficient during the first half. He missed multiple mid-range shots and three-point shots, so they needed his offense to improve. Meanwhile, Tatum scored more during this game which was a good thing for the Celtics. However, the role players were not scoring as much as they were in the last game. Al Horford had zero points at halftime after his excellent performance in game 1. Also, Marcus Smart only had two points at halftime. In addition, they needed Jaylen Brown to score more efficiently. He did well at the beginning of the game, but he did not score consistently after he got into early foul trouble.

In the third quarter, the Warriors’ offense significantly improved. Klay Thompson started to make more shots, while Stephen Curry continued to have a great scoring game. Curry and Thompson primarily led the Warriors on a 16-4 run to start the quarter. The Warriors’ defense also continued to play well as they forced turnovers, which led to more scoring opportunities. Jayson Tatum and Grant Williams both made three-pointers to cut the lead down to six points, but the Warriors made another big response. Curry took over late in the quarter since he made multiple field goals and he helped Golden State extend the lead late during the quarter. Jordan Poole scored during the last two possessions as he made two deep three-point shots; he made one of these field goals at the buzzer. Thus, Golden State led 87-64 at the end of the third quarter. Golden State played a great third quarter like they did last game. Their offense and defense played great, and they outscored Boston 35-14 during the quarter to put the game out of reach.

During the fourth quarter, Jordan Poole, Kevon Looney, Klay Thompson, and Gary Payton II continued to make great offensive contributions. They scored and helped Golden State take a twenty-nine-point lead. This was the largest lead of the game. Late in the quarter, the Celtics took out most of their rotational players since they were down by more than twenty points with less than five minutes left. Thus, the Warriors ended up defeating the Celtics 107-88 to tie the series 1-1. Stephen Curry had a great game as he scored 29 points and he led his team. Jordan Poole also played well, as he started to score more in the third and fourth quarters to help Golden State extend their lead. Although the game was very close during the first half, the Warriors started to improve offensively and defensively during the third quarter. This led to many turnovers, and Boston’s offense was inefficient. Thus, the Warriors took a big lead as they dominated during the second half. For the Celtics, Tatum did not score too much during the second half and Brown was very inefficient offensively. In addition, Boston’s role players did not play too well today. Derrick White scored 12 points, but Al Horford and Marcus Smart only scored two points during the game. Boston’s role players did not step up today, which made a key difference since they ended up getting blown out. Thus, Golden State has tied the series 1-1, so they avoided going down 2-0. However, the next two games will be in Boston, which gives the Celtics home-court advantage as mentioned earlier. Game 3 will be on Wednesday night at 8:00pm on ABC.