The Celtics had their five-game win streak snapped at the hands of the Golden State Warriors Tuesday night, falling 132-126 in overtime, dropping to 0-3 in overtime contests this season.
Despite turning the ball over just eight times (second-fewest total this season) and racking up 18 offensive rebounds (tying their season-high), the Celtics were unable to overcome their 41 missed threes on the night, which set a new franchise record.
As a team, the Celtics shot 17-of-58 (29.3%) from deep. Their 58 attempts are their second-most in franchise history, as the C’s are now 7-13 when shooting under 30% from distance dating back to last season.
Derrick White led the way for the Celtics with 30 points on 11-of-24 (45.8%) shooting from the field and 7-of-18 (38.9%) from deep. White’s 18 three-point attempts set a new career-high.
Jaylen Brown continued his stretch of excellent play, scoring 28 points on 10-of-22 (45.5%) from the field and 1-of-4 (25%) from deep. Brown also dished out seven assists, tied for the team-high, and snagged eight rebounds. The 27-year-old has recorded at least four assists in each of his last six games.
The two-time All-Star dictated Boston’s pace for the majority of the game, attacking the Warriors’ defense and punishing their lack of size. Brown disappeared a little bit down the stretch, though, scoring just four points on 1-of-5 (20%) shooting.
Stephen Curry once again got the best of the Celtics, scoring a game-high 33 points on 11-of-21 (52.4%) shooting from the field and 6-of-11 (54.5%) from deep.
Boston’s offense, in particular Brown, was attacking Curry for most of the first three quarters, which got the future Hall of Famer in some deep foul trouble.
Despite registering his fifth foul of the night at the 6:07 mark of the third quarter, Curry poured in 20 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, including the game-tying bucket with under two minutes to go in regulation and the dagger in overtime.
Here are three takeaways as the Celtics kick off their four-game road trip with a loss and drop to 6-6 on the road this season.
Couldn’t get it done down the stretch
Tuesday night’s collapse was reminiscent of the 2022 NBA Finals.
The Celtics led by as many as 17 with under five minutes to go in the third quarter, entered the fourth quarter leading by 11, and led by seven with almost four minutes to go – and the Dubs stormed back to forced overtime.
Boston was outscored 46-29 in the fourth quarter and overtime. The C's shot a combined 8-of-33 (24.2%) from the field and 5-of-18 (27.7%) from deep over that stretch, as their offensive woes in the clutch resurfaced.
On one possession in particular, the Celtics missed five shots despite a couple of wide-open looks and came away with no points in a tie game with under a minute to go.
The C’s were held scoreless in the final 1:53 of regulation and shot just 2-of-11 (18.2%) in overtime, as Curry alone outscored the Celtics in overtime 7-5.
Boston’s clutch offense has shown improvement this season. The shots were there, they were just unable to knock them down. This is a game the Celtics missed Kristaps Porzingis late, as he was out nursing his calf strain.
Jayson Tatum struggles after spraining ankle
Celtics fans received a bit of a scare on Tuesday night as Jayson Tatum hobbled to the locker room after suffering what the team called a left ankle sprain early in the first quarter.
Though the three-time All-NBA forward would return for the second quarter, he was nowhere near his usual self.
The 25-year-old finished with a season-low 15 points on 5-of-17 (29.4%) shooting from the field and 2-of-9 (22.2%) from distance, both also season-lows. Tatum shot just 3-of-14 after suffering the injury, settling for threes that were struggling to fall.
The four-time All-Star did dish out seven assists (tying his season-high), snag eight rebounds, and notch two steals (tied for the game-high), however, his shotmaking was not there, especially down the stretch.
In a way, it felt like Game 7 against Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals last spring, as he was simply not himself.
It will be worth monitoring Tatum’s status for Wednesday night with the Celtics playing on the second night of a back-to-back in Sacramento since he played over 35 minutes on the injured ankle Tuesday night. His status could be in doubt with the quick turnaround.
Neemias Queta is playing his way to a standard contract
With Porzingis and Luke Kornet out, the Celtics needed Queta to step up, and once again, he answered the call. The two-way center brought the energy for Boston, notching his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, six of which were offensive, in a little over 20 minutes of action.
The Portugal native also finished with a team-best +10 plus-minus.
Queta is proving to be a reliable option off the bench for the Celtics when they need it. As the team searches for help in their frontcourt and with an open roster spot available, Queta seems to be playing his way into contention for that position. For the most part, the 7-foot big man has had impactful minutes each time his name has been called upon, making the most of every opportunity he receives.
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