Kristaps Porzingis’ debut brought intrigue and flashes of promise, but Boston’s depth, ball movement, and rebounding edge eventually wore Golden State down before the 121-110 result ended in the Celtics‘ favor.
The Warriors hit 20 threes, yet still trailed most of the night, struggling to get consistent stops and second chances. A few bright individual performances weren’t enough to overcome a 34-point Celtics lead at its peak.
No Stephen Curry, no margin for error, and against this version of the Boston Celtics, the Golden State Warriors couldn’t afford slow stretches. Here’s how each Warrior graded out.
Gui Santos: B+
Game Stats: 17 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 6-14 FG, 5-9 3-PT FG, 32 MIN
Santos kept the Warriors afloat early. He fired confidently from deep and wasn’t shy about taking big shots. Five triples on solid volume gave Golden State life in stretches where the offense otherwise stalled. He competed defensively too, jumping passing lanes and fighting on the glass.
De’Anthony Melton: B+
Game Stats: 18 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 2 TOV, 7-13 FG, 2-6 3-PT FG, 2-4 FT, 25 MIN
Melton attacked gaps and didn’t hesitate when lanes opened. He was one of the few guards consistently able to break down the defense off the dribble. The free throws left points on the board, but his aggressiveness helped prevent this from getting even uglier.
Will Richard: B
Game Stats: 17 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 6-11 FG, 3-7 3-PT FG, 2-2 FT, 24 MIN
Richard provided much-needed scoring punch off the bench. He wasn’t shy about pulling from deep and attacked closeouts with purpose. The efficiency was solid, and he stayed active defensively as well.
Brandin Podziemski: B+
Game Stats: 11 PTS, 7 REB, 6 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 5-8 FG, 1-3 3-PT FG, 27 MIN
Brandin Podziemski stuffed the stat sheet and competed all night. Seven boards from a guard spot helped limit second chances, and his six assists kept the ball hopping. He continues to look comfortable doing a bit of everything.
Gary Payton II: B+
Game Stats: 14 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 6-8 FG, 2-4 3-PT FG, 18 MIN
Payton brought the spark. Cuts to the rim, quick transition finishes, and opportunistic threes energized the lineup. He also pressured ball-handlers and created chaos defensively. One of the few Warriors who consistently tilted the floor positively.
Kristaps Porzingis: B
Game Stats: 12 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST, 1 BLK, 2 TOV, 5-9 FG, 2-5 3-PT FG, 17 MIN
Porzingis showed the Warriors exactly what they were interested in. He shot confidently from 3, altered shots, and moved very well in the offense. He lacked in his conditioning and chemistry, but his skill set was so obvious. Even in an L, this was a great first game.
Pat Spencer: C+
Game Stats: 5 PTS, 2 REB, 7 AST, 2 STL, 2-7 FG, 1-3 3-PT FG, 27 MIN
Spencer did well in playing the point guard role. He was very calm and made no mistakes at all, and this was definitely shown with his 7 assists and zero turnovers. He did not score, but Spencer did well in organizing the offense and pressured the other team with his defense. Under the circumstances, this was a good performance.
Moses Moody: C+
Game Stats: 11 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST, 1 TOV, 4-9 FG, 3-7 3-PT FG, 0-2 FT, 23 MIN
Moody struck when the iron was hot. Open threes caught the attention of the defense. On the other end of the floor, his defense did not hold up when he was put against the wings of the Celtics. Moody was a part of a trap, and fell into it by missing free throws, and this kept the room of momentum from tipping.
Al Horford: C
Game Stats: 5 PTS, 8 REB, 4 AST, 1 BLK, 2 TOV, 2-10 FG, 1-6 3-PT FG, 28 MIN
Al took the burden of hitting the glass and of running the offense from the high post, but the offense fell short. Horford was missing, and this left the floor spaced poorly for the Celtics when it truly mattered. We did see the typical rebounding Horford effort, though.
Draymond Green: F
Game Stats: 2 REB, 3 AST, 1 TOV, 0-7 FG, 0-5 3-PT FG, 19 MIN
Having no impact as a scorer and the team falling behind was compounded on Draymond in this one. Open looks fell, and we as fans of the game did not have the chance to see Steph get the defense to bend. Because of this, it was an off night for Green.
