Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors came away with a hard-fought 118-112 win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday as the 36-year-old outdueled his Olympic teammate Jayson Tatum in a highly-anticipated showdown at the TD Garden. The win pushed Golden State to a 7-1 record, keeping them among the top in the Western Conference.
Tatum came into the contest with extra juice, having been benched multiple times by Warriors head coach Steve Kerr during the USA’s Olympic campaign. He turned up the tempo in the second half, scoring 24 of his 32 points as Boston flipped a 14-point deficit into a brief seven-point lead. But Curry and the Warriors did mount a comeback, with Curry’s 27 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, and four steals leading Golden State to a win. “We’re capable of beating anybody,” Curry said postgame. “It’s a different year, and we’re trying to develop an identity.”
Andrew Wiggins added 16 points, and Buddy Hield scored another 16 off the bench as Golden State showed its depth. Celtics fans gave Kerr an unfriendly greeting because of his Olympic benching of Tatum-a reaction Kerr said he understood, noting such decisions were “not fun.”
In other NBA action, the Denver Nuggets ended Oklahoma City Thunder’s unbeaten start to the season with a close 124-122 win. The 35-year-old Russell Westbrook rolled back the years with 29 points to lead a shorthanded Nuggets squad, while Nikola Jokic chipped in with a triple-double of 23 points, 19 rebounds, and 16 assists. In other action, the Cleveland Cavaliers ran their unbeaten record to 9-0 with a 131-122 win over the Pelicans and stayed the only undefeated team in the Eastern Conference.
LeBron James had 39 points for the visiting Lakers, but that was nowhere near enough in a dominant 131-114 victory by the Grizzlies.
