The Boston Celtics walked out of the Chase Center in San Francisco with a 125-85 win over the Golden State Warriors. This loss is just another in what’s turning out to be a bad season for the Warriors, who are 21-21 in the West as the 11th seed after this performance.
The Celtics put this game to bed early, with no player playing over 30 minutes. Jayson Tatum scored 22 points (9-20 FG) with nine rebounds and seven assists while Kristaps Porzingis had 18 points (6-13 FG) and seven rebounds. Jaylen Brown scored 17 points (8-14 FG) as Payton Prichard contributed 14 points (5-10 FG) and nine assists. Sam Hauser (11 PTS, 4-7 FG) and Jrue Holiday (10 PTS, 4-5 FG) had great performances.
The Warriors were disappointing throughout, with Stephen Curry leading them with 18 points (6-16 FG). Moses Moody was the only other Warriors to even score in double-digits with 13 points (5-13 FG), six rebounds, and five assists. Andrew Wiggins had a shockingly bad performance, scoring just four points (1-11 FG) as the team’s go-to wing in Jonathan Kuminga’s absence.
This should be an eye-opening loss for the Warriors. If it isn’t, let’s take a look at the biggest takeaways from this clash.
Worst Home Loss In 40 Years
The 40-point loss to the Celtics ranks as the worst home loss suffered by Golden State in the last 40 years. The last time they lost a home game with this margin was on January 15, 1985, to the Dallas Mavericks (149-104). The Celtics absolutely ran the Warriors over, with each quarter making the blowout worse than the last one.
The first half was somewhat competitive, although the Warriors trailed throughout this stretch. They ended the first quarter trailing by 11 points (29-18) before holding their own in the second quarter and getting outscored by just four (25-21) for a manageable 15-point deficit at the half.
Everything went wrong for them in the third quarter as Boston outscored them by 19 points (43-24) to take control of the game and virtually end any hopes of a Warriors comeback. Their 15-point deficit became a 34-point deficit in the blink of an eye before the team was also outplayed in a garbage time fourth quarter that the Celtics won by six points (28-22) for the historic margin.
This should wake the Warriors up to the fact that Stephen Curry can’t carry the team offensively as a No. 1 option when he has no help alongside him.
Non-Existent Offense In Golden State
The Warriors offense hasn’t looked too good since the first 15 games of the season, going 6-18 since then, going from the No. 1 seed to plummeting out of the West Playoff standings. Tonight, the team was a mess on both ends of the court but their offense couldn’t even give them a fighting chance against the hungry Celtics.
Warriors shot 32-92 (34.8 FG%) from the field and 14-52 (26.4 3P%) from three in a shocking performance by the whole squad. The only Warriors players to reach 50.0 FG% this game were Trayce Jackson-Davis (5 PTS, 2-3 FG) and deep-bench player Quinten Post (9 PTS, 4-8 FG). The team couldn’t even maximize free throws, going 6-11 (63.6 FT%) from the line.
The Celtics were on the opposite end of offensive efficiency, with almost every player in a cogent rhythm while scoring the ball, leading to six players scoring in double-figures. The team went 49-92 (53.3 FG%) from the field, converting 17 more shots on the same amount of attempts as the Warriors. They were 20-48 (41.7 3P%) from three, making six more outside shots on eight fewer attempts.
Trades Needed
How can the Warriors look at their current roster and think that everything is fine? They have been completely obliterated by other teams in the absence of key players like Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green, increasing the load on Wiggins to a degree he absolutely cannot handle.
This is a major concern for the competitive outlook of this team for the rest of the season, as recent comments indicate the team could have to consider tanking instead of win-now trades.
Justifying a tanking season while Stephen Curry is 36 years old is asinine, as the standout point guard is bound to regress even more going forward, requiring the team to add elite help to the roster anyway. Starting that process this season with a trade for someone who could be a genuine co-star is a sound idea, even if the Warriors are clutching onto their future assets.
There are available players they could take a swing at including Zach LaVine and Jimmy Butler, but it seems the team doesn’t value how they could change the competitive landscape of this team. The Warriors have the foundation of a very well-built squad that can dominate opponents, as seen in the first 15 games of the season.
Adding a piece that can help them rediscover that brand of basketball is key, but it doesn’t look like even a 40-point loss to a team you beat in the NBA Finals three years ago will make them act.
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