Stephen Curry sinks Celtics with 3-point dagger in bounce back from rare game with no 3s
There's no need to worry about Stephen Curry's shot.
After a rare game without a 3-pointer, Curry was back in form Tuesday. The Warriors sharpshooter helped rally Golden State from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime against Boston.
There, he sank the Celtics with a stepback 3-pointer dagger in a 132-126 win.
Curry's sixth 3 of the night arrived with Golden State leading 127-126 in the final 15 seconds of overtime. He first tried to extend the lead with a spinning layup in traffic. When he missed, Chris Paul corralled the rebound then kicked it back out to Curry, who found himself open on the wing beyond the 3-point line.
Paul hit him with a crosscourt pass, and Curry shot the ball in rhythm to put the game to bed.
Curry led all scorers with 33 points alongside six assists and three rebounds. He shot 11 of 21 from the field and 6 of 11 from 3-point distance. He did the bulk of his damage after picking up his fifth foul midway through the third quarter. He had 13 points at the time, then scored 20 more without picking up another foul through the fourth quarter and overtime.
Steph Curry starts a new streak
It was vintage Curry two nights removed from the end of his NBA-record 268 game streak with at least one made 3-pointer. Curry shot 0 for 8 from long distance in a 118-114 win against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday. His new streak now stands at one.
Boston was in control for much of the night that saw Celtics guard Derrick White play the leading role on a court filled with All-Stars. The Celtics opened up a 40-30 lead in the first quarter then pushed their edge to as much as 87-70 late in the third.
Curry picked up his fifth foul with 6:07 left in the third and Boston leading, 83-80. Things looked hopeless for the home Warriors fans.
But Curry didn't sit for long. Head coach Steve Kerr put him back on the floor to start the fourth quarter, and Curry didn't leave the game again. He hit 4-of-5 3-point attempts the rest of the way to rally the Warriors and counter White's 30-point night that included a 7-of-18 effort from 3-point distance.
Lot of 3-point shots
The teams combined to launch 108 3-pointers on the night. The Warriors got the best of the long-distance contest while connecting on 20-of-50 attempts (40%). The Celtics countered with a 17-of-58 effort (29.3%) while missing several 3s down the stretch including a possession at the end of fourth quarter that saw them miss three 3-pointers on four shots before coming up empty.
Wow man! Celtics had so many wide open looks here and couldn't convert on any of them! pic.twitter.com/Fl9BBPFlu1
— Oh no he didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) December 20, 2023
Klay Thompson joined Curry on a strong shooting night from distance while hitting 6-of-15 3-pointers on a 24-point night. Paul added nine points, 12 assists and seven rebounds off the bench.
Jaylen Brown tallied 28 points for the Celtics alongside eight rebounds and seven assists. Jayson Tatum struggled on a 15-point night while shooting 5 of 17 from the field and 2 of 9 from 3-point distance.