Celtics retake the series lead as Brown, Tatum and Smart joins legendary company / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: AFP-Scanpix Credit AFP-Scanpix

The Boston Celtics, led by a trio of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart, retook the lead in an NBA Finals series.

Player of the Game EFF 30 Jaylen Brown Points 27 Accuracy 9-16 Rebounds 9 Assists 5

After holding off against another strong third quarter by the Golden State Warriors, the Celtics won 116-100 (33-22, 35-34, 25-33, 23-11) and now lead the series 2-1.

Game 4 will take place on Saturday at 03:00 CEST.

Warriors cut an 18-point deficit and were trailing by 4 at the beginning of the fourth (89-93). However, Tatum sank the free throws, Smart banked a 3-pointer, while Tatum added another basket, and the Celtics' lead grew to 9 points (100-91).

The Warriors were struggling to find their rhythm on offense, and the Celtics capitalized on that. Tatum made a driving layup, Smart sank another 3-pointer, and with 5 minutes remaining, secured the win for the hosts (110-96).

Brown finished the game with 27 points (5/8 2PT, 4/8 3PT, 5/6 FT), 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block, and 2 turnovers.

Tatum added 26 points (6/14 2PT, 3/9 3PT, 5/6 FT), 9 assists, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 turnovers.

Meanwhile, Smart contributed with 24 points (5/10 2PT, 3/7 3PT, 5/7 FT), 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 turnovers.

Brown, Tatum and Smart became the first trio to each have 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in a Finals game since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and Michael Cooper in 1984.

Boston started the game strongly, and after Al Horford's layup with 5:16 remaining, the hosts already had a double-digit lead (20-9).

Moments later, Brown made a slam, and the Celtics' lead grew to 15 points (30-15). Brown, in the first quarter alone, scored 17 points.

However, after a sloppy start Warriors made a huge comeback after halftime. With 6:14 remaining in the third, Tatum made a 3-pointer to increase Celtics' lead to 11 (82-71).

Klay Thompson made the free throws, and then Steph Curry's magic began. The Warriors star made a 3-pointer with Horford's unsportsmanlike foul, while Otto Porter sank a difficult shot from deep, making it a 7-point possession for the Warriors, which allowed to cut the lead to 2 points (80-82).

Warriors got the stop after that, and Curry made another 3-pointer, giving the first lead to the Warriors since 2-0 at the beginning of the game (83-82). However, Celtics answered with their own good stretch and led 93-89 after the third.

Curry led the Warriors with 31 points (6/11 2PT, 6/11 3PT, 1/1 FT), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 3 turnovers.

Klay Thompson added 25 points (2/4 2PT, 5/13 3PT, 6/6 FT), 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.

Celtics: Jaylen Brown 27 (5/8 2PT, 4/8 3PT, 9 REB, 5 AST), Jayson Tatum 26 (6/14 2PT, 3/9 3PT, 6 REB, 9 AST), Marcus Smart 24 (5/10 2PT, 3/7 3PT, 7 REB, 5 AST, 5 TO), Al Horford 11 (4/5 2PT, 8 REB, 6 AST), Grant Williams 10 (5 REB), Robert Williams 8 (4/5 2PT, 10 REB, 3 STL, 4 BLK).Warriors: Stephen Curry 31 (6/11 2PT, 6/11 3PT), Klay Thompson 25 (5/13 3PT), Andrew Wiggins 18 (6/10 2PT, 1/6 3PT, 7 REB, 2 BLK), Jordan Poole 10.

Full game highlights

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