Celtics hand Warriors most lopsided home loss in 40 years

SAN FRANCISCO:

Jayson Tatum scored 22 points, Kristaps Porzingis had 18 and the Boston Celtics handed the Golden State Warriors their most lopsided home loss in 40 years with a 125-85 victory yesterday.

The Celtics built a double-digit lead early and put the game away with a 43-24 edge in the third quarter.

Jaylen Brown added 17 points and Payton Pritchard scored 14 for Boston.

Stephen Curry scored 18 points to lead Golden State. The Warriors shot 34.8 per cent for the game, with Andrew Wiggins making just one of 11 shots.

The Warriors lost by at least 40 points at home for the sixth time since moving to California in 1962 and first since a 149-104 loss to Dallas on January 15, 1985.

TAKEAWAYS

Celtics: Boston got off to a good start on a four-game trip after coming into the game on a 3-4 stretch. The Celtics got in front early and never were really threatened the rest of the way.

Warriors: The short-handed Warriors were down another key player with Draymond Green (calf) joining Jonathan Kuminga (ankle) and Brandon Podziemski (abdominal) on the sideline.

They didn't have nearly enough without those players to keep pace with the defending champions.

KEY MOMENT

The Warriors went 7:32, spanning the first and second quarters, without making a basket, turning a two-point lead into a 13-point deficit that they never overcame.

KET STAT

12.5. The Warriors shot three for 24 from three-point range in the first half for their second-lowest percentage in a first half with at least 20 attempts since the start of the play-by-play era in 1996-97.

Golden State shot two for 22 (9.1 per cent) in a loss to Brooklyn on February 5, 2020.

Both teams are in action on Wednesday, with the Celtics visiting the Los Angeles Clippers and the Warriors at Sacramento. - AP