Warriors lose to Celtics in Finals rematch. Bulls win Paris
The Celtics prevailed in a gritty 121 to118 NBA win over Golden State on Thursday in Boston. On Thursday, the league honed its global credentials in Paris by playing a glittery game.
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Jaylen White came back late for the Celtics. Their eighth consecutive win — this time against the team that beat them in the NBA Finals last year — brought their league-leading record up to 34-12.
The Celtics led by 10 points midway through the second period, despite Tatum and Brown’s inability to make shots at the beginning.
The Warriors fought back and took a 55-54 advantage on Stephen Curry’s shot at the half-court logo during the halftime buzzer.
The Warriors, who had dominated Boston in December’s victory in San Francisco, looked as though they had the Celtics’ number as they pulled away to lead the game by as much as 11 points in the third quarter.
The fourth quarter saw them up nine points, but Boston was within two minutes of Tatum’s running dunk. Al Horford made a three-pointer, and Brown had a big block. The score was tied at 106-106 with 18.6 second remaining in regulation.
Marcus Smart’s first overtime basket gave the Celtics their lead for the first time since the second half.
Curry’s three-pointer put the Warriors up one. Brown scored a layup to put the Celtics back on the top with 2:23 left.
They extended the lead to eight, and they survived a few miscues in order to win.
Tatum scored 34 points and had a career-high of 19 rebounds. Tatum said that the contest was not about revenge. He also stated that the Celtics weren’t buying into the “Finals Rematch” hype that made them feel too anxious in their December clash.
“The truth is that we lost. Tatum stated that we lost the championship. Tatum stated, “No single win can bring it back. It is impossible to change the past.
“So we didn’t see this as a rematch. No matter whether we won tonight or lost, we didn’t celebrate or hang any banners.
Brown returned from three-game absence due to groin tightness and finished the game with 16 points, 12 in each quarter, and overtime.
Curry led the Warriors with 29 points. Klay Thompson added 24 and Jordan Poole added 24, respectively.
However, the Warriors suffered another road loss when they fell to 22-24 overall and 5-18 in road play. They have yet to defeat a team on the road with a winning track record this season.
“I love the effort. Steve Kerr, Warriors coach said that he admires the Warriors’ grit. “But, we didn’t close out the game. It’s better now than it was in the playoffs.
The day began in Paris, when DeMar DeRozan returned to the Chicago Bulls from injury to win 126-108 against the Detroit Pistons.
DeRozan missed three games due to a thigh injury and scored 26 points.
Bulls guard Zach LaVine led all scorers, scoring 30 points as Paris hosted its second regular season game. The French capital was first on the NBA’s calendar in 2020.
– “A great moment”
Victor Wembanyama was courtside, the French prodigy aged 19 who is expected to become the first overall pick in the NBA draft. This could be for the Pistons.
Past NBA greats, such as Magic Johnson and France’s Tony Parker and celebrity spectators such as Pharrell and music producer Pharrell Williams, were also there.
DeRozan stated, “Man, it’s amazing.” “Tonight is one those games, I know that for me, I’m going back years and years later and realize how amazing this moment was.”
Killian Hayes was a Pistons guard who grew up France. He received a thunderous ovation as the starters were introduced. However, the 21-year old endured a tough night. He had eight assists and scored just four points with four fouls.
Deandre ayton scored 24 points and Mikal Bridges 28 points respectively to help the Phoenix Suns overcome Brooklyn’s furious fourth quarter fight-back. They won 117-112 over the Nets.
Nets star Kyrie, Irving almost won the game for his team with 21 of his 30 points in quarter four.
The Nets, who were without Kevin Durant injured, trailed 20 going into the final frame. However, Irving and the Nets cut the deficit to two points with 8.1 second remaining before the Suns — missing Devin Booker & Chris Paul — finished off the win.
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