NBA Finals rematch: Celtics defeat Warriors 121-118 in overtime

Ean, Al Horford’s 7-year-old son, sat in the front row of the postgame press conference while sporting a hat from the NBA Finals from the previous year.
The significance of Thursday night’s game against the Golden State Warriors for the Boston Celtics and their supporters was evident to his father from the podium.
The Boston centre, who finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks, and a crucial 3-pointer in overtime to help the Celtics defeat the Warriors 121-118 in a repeat of the NBA finals, said, “Yes, it’s a big game.
“I wanted to come here and I wanted to win, you know. Horford stated, “I really wanted to win. A regular season is underway. There is only one game. It is done. Nonetheless, it’s a crucial game.
Following Al Horford’s 3-pointer in overtime with one of his own to give Boston a seven-point lead with 1:30 remaining, Jayson Tatum finished with 34 points and a career-high 19 rebounds. Jaylen Brown contributed 16 additional points, hitting a 3-pointer with 19 seconds remaining in regulation to force OT.
The victory ended a four-game losing streak over Golden State, which included the Warriors’ victories in the first regular-season rematch in San Francisco in December and the final three games of the championship series.
The truth is that we fell short. Tatum stated, “We lost the title. “No one wins; we can’t go back to that. We are unable to alter that in the past.
Consequently, he continued, “we didn’t view this as a repeat of the finals. “There’s just one game,”
Jordon Poole had 24, Klay Thompson added 24, and Stephen Curry had 29 points for the Warriors before fouling out in overtime. The reigning champions’ road record this year is now 5-18.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr stated, “I’m disappointed that we didn’t win the game, but I believe we can accomplish this. Better now than during the postseason.
Until Brown’s 3-pointer tied it, Boston had led by as many as 10 points in the first half but had fallen behind the entire second. The Celtics scored the opening four points of the overtime period, but the Warriors went ahead 111-110 when Draymond Green made a pair of free throws and Stephen Curry sank a 3-pointer.
With 1:26 left, Tatum’s 3-pointer and Horford’s 3-pointer gave the Celtics a 118-111 lead after Brown made a floater to regain the lead. Golden State had a chance to win at the buzzer after Boston made mistakes late in the game, but Poole’s half-court attempt fell short.
The Warriors prevailed in the championship series’ Game 6 in Boston before triumphing in the first regular-season rematch in San Francisco. Despite having the best record in the NBA thus far, the Celtics are still miffed about their losses to Golden State.
Tatum struggled against the Warriors in June, but on December 10 at Golden State, he scored 18 points on 6-for-21 shooting. Yet, he acknowledged that Horford, who had 10 points, five rebounds, and a chase-down blocked shot in the opening frame, was responsible for Boston’s strong home performance.
Tatum remarked, “Al came out and looked like he was 25 today. He really did come out and set the tone. And for the remainder of the evening, we all sort of stuck with that.
LARGE SHOT
At the end of the first half, Curry thrilled the Boston fans with a buzzer-beater that was measured at 50 feet.
With time running out, the Warriors had possession of the ball, but Malcolm Brogdon grabbed it from Thompson and passed it to Tatum. Curry seized the opportunity to steal it from him and lined up a 3-point shot from the opposite side of the halfcourt area.
The Warriors now have a 55-54 advantage as it swished through the net.
REGULATION
With two minutes remaining in the third, the Warriors were up by as many as 11, 85-74, but Boston fought back and knotted the score on Brown’s 3-pointer. Curry dribbled out the timer before launching a 3-point attempt that clanged off the front of the hoop because the Warriors decided not to use a timeout. (With 0.5 seconds left, the Celtics managed to call a timeout, but they were unable to make a shot.)
COMEBACKS
After being sidelined for three games due to a groyne ailment, Brown returned for Boston. Robert Williams III, a centre for the Celtics, missed the two teams’ game on December 10 and missed the first 29 games of the season while recovering from left knee surgery.
Both teams had generally healthy players, with Wiggins returning earlier in the month after missing 15 games (strained muscle in right leg; non-COVID sickness) and Curry returning on Jan. 10 after an 11-game absence (partially dislocated left shoulder).
TIP-INS
Warriors: With eight minutes remaining in the fourth, Thompson committed his fifth foul and left the game. Wiggins scored twenty. Green finished with 13 rebounds, 11 points, and 9 assists.
Celtics: Held a moment of silence in memory of former player and coach Chris Ford, who passed away this week at the age of 74. … Williams finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Smart earned an 18. … Under 40% from the pitch and 73% from the line for the Celtics.
NEXT UP
Warriors: On Friday, go to Cleveland.
Toronto hosts the Celtics on Saturday.

In the second quarter of the Golden State Warriors’ game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night, Draymond Green was aware that his team needed to improve.
The Warriors lacked motivation and focus during a disappointing first half of a game that was crucial to the postseason chase. At that time, they had made 14 mistakes. They were unable to stop New Orleans. They were 19 points behind.
Green then started a fire.
After the Warriors’ 120-109 victory, coach Steve Kerr claimed that Draymond “willed us to victory tonight.” “Just the tension, the anger with how we were playing early. Angry at everyone, yelling at their bench, our bench, and me — and frankly, we deserved it,” the player said.
With 3:45 left in the second quarter, Green received his 17th technical foul, which served as his first spurt.
Brandon Ingram, a forward for the Pelicans, appeared to be shoved by Green after he drove from the perimeter into the basket. Ingram approached Green as he was returning to the court from the baseline, and the two exchanged words before pushing one other.
They received Ts, and for the shove, Green was also given a flagrant foul 1.
If the technical offence isn’t overturned within the next 24 hours, which Green feels ought to happen, Green will be penalised $5,000. He claimed that it was still worthwhile to him even if it didn’t.
Green stated, “It was beautiful. Absolutely done. “We looked flat those first 18 minutes. We had to find some energy someplace. It wasn’t just going to arrive, especially after losing the game like we did the last game; it can carry over. I knew we had to do something and do it quickly before the game went out of hand.”
After a collision with Herbert Jones around 20 seconds later, Green almost received another technical flag. Green hit Jones as he was driving for a layup and fell on top of the man. Before being untangled, the two became entangled.
Before referees and team security broke up the melee, more pushing and shoving among several players took place. No Ts were assigned following a thorough video analysis.
When Green stepped onto the court, he said, “I’ve got to play with the same intensity I try to play with every time I foot on the floor.” “I can’t worry about that. For me, why be out there if I’m going to modify my intensity level?”
Green constantly uses his words to motivate his players. Prior to a confrontation with Jordan Poole earlier this season, he claimed, he had faith that his teammates had his back.
“You hope guys will back me up at the moment where I’m going to put myself out there like that,” said Green. If not, our season is already finished.
Stephen Curry joined the melee after Green collided with Jones, shouting at Pelicans players and pushing a number of them.
Curry stated, “He knows the players are behind him. “There are moments where I had to keep him in check and bring him back in when it’s moving in the wrong direction in the sense of being focused on just winning,” said Green. “I’m sure [Green] wouldn’t walk out on an island like that if he didn’t have that confidence.
The Warriors were down by as much as 20 points, including 17 in the opening period. Yet in the second half, they outscored the Pelicans 74-46, including by shooting 70%, to mount their second-largest comeback of the year.
In the second half, Curry scored 22 of his 38 points. For the Warriors, he was the source of 58 of 120 (48%) of their points, including 37 of 74 (50%) in the second half.
He created the majority of the Warriors’ shots, going 8 of 14 from the pitch while dribbling, and his teammates made 8 of 11 shots off of his passes.
Green remarked, “[Curry] turned it up another two notches when I turned it up a notch. We all got in line and started to pursue him, but no one was able to stop him since he was locked in.
The playoff feel permeated Tuesday’s game, whether it was due to the playoff-like competitiveness of both teams, the atmosphere inside Chase Center, or the significance of the game for each team.
After the victory, Golden State reclaimed the sixth seed in the Western Conference, moving ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves in seventh place by a game and a half.
Nonetheless, the intensity and atmosphere of the postseason will be present for every game played in the regular season.
Curry added, “It feels like we’ve been in a playoff mentality for a few weeks now. Every game does important. The only difference is that you face a different team every night, but it still gives us the same adrenaline high.