The Boston Celtics have responded to adversity all postseason, and Game 3 of the NBA Finals was no different. Coming off a challenging Game 2 loss to the Golden State Warriors, the Celtics again found themselves dealing with a third-quarter onslaught from the Warriors.
A three-pointer from Stephen Curry with 3:45 remaining in the third capped a 10-0 run and gave Golden State all the momentum and an 83-82 lead. Boston stayed poised and responded with an 11-6 run to take the lead into the fourth.
From there, the Celtics won the final quarter 23-11, opening the period on a 9-2 run. The Celtics held the Warriors to just one made shot over the first three minutes of the fourth quarter and went on to win 116-100 for a 2-1 series lead.
“I felt like our team really stayed poised in those moments,” Celtics center Al Horford said. “As you know, earlier in the year, that could have gone south quickly. But we stayed right with it and just locked in and didn’t panic and just continued to play.”
Wednesday’s Game 3 win in Boston saw the Celtics improve to 7-0 in games following a loss this postseason. Boston has gone 13-1 in games following a loss since January 23.
“I think that’s when we are at our best — when we respond to tough situations. We respond to teams going on runs and things like that,” Boston forward Jayson Tatum said. “I think we did that several times tonight.”
Tatum finished with 26 points and nine assists, while Jaylen Brown added 27 points and nine assists. Marcus Smart added 24 points and helped lead the defensive effort that locked the Warriors down in the fourth quarter. The 11-point final quarter by Golden State represents the third-fewest points scored in a Finals game in the shot-clock era.
“Game 2, they brought the heat to us,” Smart said. “For us, that left a bad taste in our mouth because what we hang our hat on is effort on the defensive end and being a physical team. It definitely woke us up a little bit.”
Stephen Curry led Golden State with 31 points on 12-for-22 shooting, including six made three-pointers. He scored 15 points in the third quarter alone as the Warriors won the period 33-25. However, late in the fourth, Curry was hurt when the Celtics’ Horford rolled onto his leg while battling for a loose ball.
“I got caught — obviously in some pain, but I’ll be all right,” Curry said. “See how it feels tomorrow and get ready for Friday.”
Klay Thompson broke out of a shooting slump to finish with 25 points and five made three-pointers for the Warriors. However, it was not enough, as the more athletic Celtics outmuscled Golden State for a 47-31 rebounding advantage.
“When you allow a team to get comfortable, especially in their home, in front [of the] the home crowd, then it’s tough,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said.
The Celtics are now two wins away from a championship. Game 4 of the series will be in Boston on Friday.
“Another bounce-back from us,” Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. “My message to the group was, ‘We’ve done this after losses; let’s respond the right way after a win now.'”