“It felt like a playoff game”: Steph Curry, Jayson Tatum trade baskets as Warriors fall to Celtics

Every so often, NBA fans are treated to a night when the league’s top scorers put on a show. That was the case in Saturday night’s marquee matchup between the Warriors and Boston Celtics, as All-Stars Stephen Curry and Jayson Tatum traded baskets in a game that came down to the final seconds.

Curry poured in shots from all over the floor on his way to 47 points, while Tatum finished with 44 points on 16-for-25 shooting, 10 rebounds and three assists as the Warriors fell to the Celtics 119-114 at TD Garden in front of a socially distanced crowd.

Although the loss snapped Golden State’s season-best four-game win streak, head coach Steve Kerr said the “playoff atmosphere” made the team better.

“I’m in awe of what I watched tonight from a skill-level and level of competition, felt like a playoff game out there,” Kerr said. “Both teams were just gassed and competed like crazy. And just incredible shot-making — particularly from Steph and Jayson. So what a basketball game. It hurts to lose but I told the team I feel like they got better.”

Still, this loss hurts considering the Warriors (28-29) led by as many as 16 points in the first half before giving up a 28-5 run to the Celtics (31-26) between the 1:05 mark of the second quarter to midway through the third. After trailing by as many as seven points, Curry’s 31-foot jumper put the Warriors up by four with 1:56 left in the third.

Throughout the night, Curry dazzled with his dribble and launched from deep with confidence as he went 15-for-27 overall and 11-for-19 from 3-point range. Before Boston’s decisive run, Curry drew a foul, flicked a shot up with his left hand while his body was turned to the Celtics’ bench and converted on the four-point play. It was that sort of night.

In the back-and-forth fourth quarter, Curry (nine points) and Tatum (12) led their respective teams in scoring. Curry’s 3-pointer put Golden State up by six with 4:10 to go, but Tatum’s layup with 48.8 seconds remaining punctuated an 11-2 run that gave the Celtics a 113-111 lead. Draymond Green then missed a potential game-tying layup and Kemba Walker’s 3-pointer with 24.8 seconds remaining sealed the Celtics’ victory.

Over the next couple of days, the Warriors will monitor injuries to Curry and Juan Toscano-Anderson. Midway through the final period, Toscano-Anderson dove for a loose ball and went crashing over the scorers’ table. He laid on the ground for a few minutes before walking to the locker room under his own power, where he received stitches for a laceration on the top of his head.

“He’s tough as nails,” Green said of Toscano-Anderson, who will continue to be monitored for a possible concussion. “For him to go over the scorers’ table sums up who he is and how he got here.”

Also during the fourth quarter, Curry turned his left ankle but stayed in the game. Speaking with the media an hour after the final buzzer, Curry said he has “no idea” if he’ll play Monday in Philadelphia and will see how the ankle responds over the next two days.

In the end, the Celtics won because they attempted 14 more shots than the Warriors due to 14 offensive rebounds and Golden State’s 17 turnovers. Without Kelly Oubre Jr. (wrist) for the fifth straight game, the Warriors didn’t have many options to defend to Tatum.

“He’s a supreme talent,” Curry said.

The loss drops the Warriors, who have won five of their last seven, back to below .500. But after the game, the team did not appear discouraged.

“This is a little bump in the road,” Kent Bazemore said. “We’ve got another good team here coming up. We’re looking forward to it. We’re looking forward to the challenge.”

Added Green: “We didn’t come out on the right side of it, but that’s a game we could learn from.”