NBA Finals: Curry scores 43 to beat Boston, even series 2-2

BOSTON –

He stomped his toes, waved his arms, flexed his muscle tissues and talked again to the group.

And Stephen Curry additionally made baskets. Loads of these, too.

In a demonstrative and dominating efficiency that was top-of-the-line of his postseason profession, Curry scored 43 factors to steer the Golden State Warriors to a 107-97 victory over the Boston Celtics in Recreation 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday evening, sending the collection again to San Francisco knotted at two video games apiece.

Two nights after shaking off a foot damage in a Recreation 3 loss, the two-time league MVP stomped and shot his method to his third-highest scoring whole within the postseason, including 10 rebounds and making a pair of baskets throughout a 10-0 fourth-quarter run that turned a four-point Boston edge right into a 100-94 Golden State lead. It was the second-most factors he is scored within the NBA Finals.

“The center on that man is unimaginable,” Warriors guard Klay Thompson mentioned. “The issues he does, we sort of take without any consideration at occasions, to go on the market and put us on his again. We have to assist him out on Monday.”

Andrew Wiggins had 17 factors and 16 boards for the Warriors, who’ve received at the very least one highway recreation for an NBA-record 27 consecutive playoff collection since 2013. They’ll host Recreation 5 on Monday evening, with Recreation 6 in Boston on Thursday; Golden State would maintain the home-court benefit in a seventh recreation, if crucial.

“We needed to do it the troublesome approach,” mentioned Celtics coach Ime Udoka, whose workforce is 7-0 after losses within the 2022 postseason. “Now we have to do it once more. It may have been a better highway, clearly, when you get the win tonight. However we’re 2-2 now. We all know we are able to do it. We have accomplished it earlier than.”

Jayson Tatum had 23 factors and 11 rebounds for Boston, however he managed only one basket whereas taking part in all the fourth quarter. Jaylen Brown scored 21 factors and Robert Williams III had 12 rebounds.

Marcus Sensible, who scored 18 factors, hit a 3-pointer to present the Celtics a 94-90 lead with simply over 5 minutes remaining. However they missed six straight pictures and didn’t rating once more till the 1:18 mark, after Curry made a floater and a 3-pointer to present the Warriors a 100-94 lead.

“He wasn’t letting us lose. That is all it boils all the way down to,” Warriors large man Draymond Inexperienced mentioned. “I may inform in his demeanor, final couple of days, even after Recreation 3 that he was going to return out with that sort of fireplace.”

Curry was extra demonstrative than normal, elevating his arms after failing to get a foul name, interacting with the sold-out TD Backyard crowd and flexing to have a good time a giant Warriors basket. Reasonably than returning house on the brink of elimination, the Warriors moved nearer to a fourth NBA title in eight years at house.

“I felt like we simply needed to let everyone know that we have been right here tonight,” Curry mentioned. “Whether or not that is their crowd, their workforce, our workforce, whoever needs to see that power and that fireplace, we feed off of that.”

Followers arriving on the TD Backyard for what may have been the ultimate time this season discovered a T-shirt draped over their seats with the 17 NBA championship banners lined up on the entrance. There was a clean rectangle the place the 18th would go.

Now the Celtics would wish to win at the very least yet one more time in San Francisco to fill within the clean.

The amped-up crowd spent a lot of the sport booing Inexperienced, chanting an obscenity at him that’s often reserved for Bucky Dent, and jeering his many misses. He shot 1 of seven however completed with 9 rebounds and eight assists to go along with two factors.

Inexperienced additionally had an offensive rebound and a dish to Curry after returning to the sport within the closing minute to remove any probability of a Boston comeback.

“He is the final word competitor. … Made big performs down the stretch,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr mentioned. “It is a powerful collection for him to attain due to Boston’s dimension and athleticism, however he is nonetheless impacting the sport at an enormous degree.”

INJURY REPORT

Curry’s foot was a difficulty coming into the evening after Boston’s Al Horford landed on it late in Recreation 3. However did not appear to trouble him on Friday evening: He performed 41 minutes — solely Wiggins spent extra time on the court docket for the Warriors — and made 14 of 26 pictures, together with 7 of 14 from 3-point vary.

“By no means even regarded prefer it was an element,” Kerr mentioned. “The physicality out there may be fairly dramatic. Boston’s obtained the very best defence within the league — big and highly effective at each place, and for Steph to take that sort of strain all recreation lengthy and nonetheless be capable of defend … I feel that is the strongest bodily he is ever been in his profession.”

Williams was listed as questionable coming into the sport with the knee damage that saved him out on the finish of the common season and the beginning of the playoffs. He began sturdy, with 10 rebounds within the first half, however he was limping within the second half and on the bench within the closing minutes.

He completed with seven factors to go along with 4 assists and two blocked pictures, taking part in 31 minutes.

THIRD TIME

The Warriors received the third quarter for the fourth recreation in a row, however not as decisively as they’d beforehand.

Golden State had a 30-24 edge popping out of the break, closing with a 14-7 run to erase a six-point Boston lead. Curry scored 14 factors within the quarter, making 4 3-pointers.

The Warriors have outscored the Celtics by a mixed rating of 136-87 within the third quarter within the finals.

This time, it was the fourth quarter that was decisive, with the Warriors scoring 17 of the sport’s final 20 factors.