Jayson Tatum, Celtics overcome Steph Curry and the Warriors 119-114 in wild back-and-forth affair

BOSTON — The Celtics looked like they were going to ran off the court in the first half against the Warriors. Then they were doing the running, using a massive stretch to take the lead. All that back-and-forth flip-flopping resulted in one of the best games of the season, Boston and Golden State battling it out in the final minutes.

It was the Celtics who prevailed, led by a soaring Jayson Tatum, as they triumphed in a 119-114 win Saturday at TD Garden. Boston won its sixth straight game to climb further up the Eastern Conference ladder, now at a 31-26 record.

The C’s were down by as much as 16 points midway through the second quarter — and Stephen Curry looked like the best player on the court. But Boston, with Tatum leading the way, responded and used a 21-2 run to snatch back the advantage. It was a pick ‘em from there as the teams traded leads and big shots.

Tatum boosted the Celtics with 44 points and 10 rebounds. Kemba Walker added 26 points while Marcus Smart had 16 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Curry hit some impressive shots — many of the step-back variety — on his way to 47 points to pace Golden State.

The Celtics were shorthanded against the Warriors, missing Jaylen Brown (non-COVID illness), Robert Williams III (left knee soreness) and Evan Fournier (health and safety protocols) to the injury report.

Boston takes on an Eastern Conference foe for the first time in five games, hosting the Chicago Bulls at 7:30 p.m. Monday in TD Garden. It’ll be former Celtics big man Daniel Theis’ first time playing in Boston since he was traded at this year’s trade deadline.

Here are four takeaways from Boston’s impressive win over Golden State:

Battle of the aces: Both the Celtics and Warriors came into Saturday’s game with healthy winning streaks — and the upswing was courtesy of their All-Stars. That came to a blow Saturday as Tatum and Curry were in full throttle, starting from the first half. Tatum’s 23 first-half points barely edged Curry’s 22. It was a stellar matchup from the start as Tatum carried more of the scoring burden with Brown unavailable. Curry came into Saturday averaging 39 points per game this month as one of the hottest players in the league. It was Tatum who got the last laugh as the Celtics walked away with the win.

Making a mark: As fate would have it, Jabari Parker, the No. 2 overall pick in 2014, made his Celtics debut against the No. 1 overall pick from that draft, Andrew Wiggins. Parker checked in late in the first quarter, donning the Boston No. 20 jersey for his first minutes as a Celtic. The start was rough as Parker committed two turnovers in his first two possessions, but he had his moments offensively throughout Saturday. Parker finished with 11 points, four rebounds and 16 minutes on 5-for-6 shooting. That’s more points than he scored all season for Sacramento.

Walker looking better ahead of the playoffs: There are still a little over a dozen games ahead of the playoffs, but Walker’s recent play has certainly been a source of optimism. The assists are up while the efficiency seems to be coming around. When the Celtics needed some buckets early in the third quarter, Walker knocked down a pair of 3-pointers. Whole-game consistency is still a struggle for the 30-year-old, but Walker’s looking like he’s shaping into playoff form. Walker finished 9-for-20 from the field Saturday, including the 3-point dagger late to down the Warriors.

Celtics taking on a desperate Bulls team: Theis will be back at TD Garden and the C’s will see a new-look Chicago team that added the Magic’s Nikola Vucevic. All-Star Zach Lavine is in health and safety protocols indefinitely, which is a huge blow to the 10th-place Bulls. Chicago’s vying to snag the last play-in tournament spot, but has struggled of late and the Raptors are right behind them. The Celtics are playing some of the best basketball of the season, but this Chicago team is looking for wins any way it can get them.

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