Boston Celtics (36-19) beat Golden State Warriors (29-27) 121-110 on the road on Thursday, February 19, never trailing at a quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Celtics had the better start, winning the first 36-32 to lead by 4 after one. The Celtics kept the pressure on with a 38-19 second quarter, carrying a 23-point lead into halftime.
The Celtics won the third 28-22 to create some separation, taking a 29-point lead into the fourth. The Warriors took the fourth 37-19; the Celtics held on for a 121-110 regulation win.
What decided it
The Celtics grabbed 31% of their own misses, while the Warriors recovered 21.2%. The Celtics got more from their shots, finishing at 60.5% effective field-goal shooting compared with 55.2% for the Warriors. The second chances kept adding up.
The Warriors did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 8.3 against 13.3. The Celtics made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 97 possessions per team, the Celtics produced 124.4 points per 100 possessions to 113.1 for the Warriors.
The Warriors' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 54-37.
Who made the difference
Jaylen Brown was the game's biggest individual force for BOS: 23 pts, 15 reb, 13 ast on 10-18 shooting. His Game Score of 24.8 led everyone. His team was +11 with him on the floor.
Will Richard led the Warriors with 17 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast on 6-11 shooting, good for a 15.9 Game Score.
Jaylen Brown (23 pts, 15 reb, 13 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 50% for the Celtics.
Across the last 2 meetings in our records, the series is even.
The Celtics are now 36-19, and the Warriors are 29-27. The Celtics last five before this game: W-W-W-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.