Al Horford made a stunning comeback as the Boston Celtics secured first blood as they beat the Golden State Warriors 120-108 in their best-of-seven NBA Finals series on Thursday.
Celtics legend Horford scored 26 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, as Boston handed Golden State their first home defeat of the season at their Chase Center fortress.
@ Celtics ‘Acquisition’ of Chase Center@jaytatum0 and co. unconscious @Warrior’s 1⃣ 120-108 with a strong comeback to win the game
see #NBAFinals Game 2️ on June 6th, starting at 5:30 a.m. #sport18 And @vootselect#nba75 @nbaindia pic.twitter.com/JMiPCZ1YzC
— sports18 (@sports18) 3 June 2022
Horford’s tally had a decisive explosion of eight unanswered points in the fourth quarter, as the Celtics pulled off a clear trail of 12 at the end of the third quarter.
Boston defensive lynch pin Marcus Smart also came in big late with back-to-back three-pointers as the Celtics took a double-digit lead against the Shellshock Warriors.
The win was nothing less than the never-lose attitude Boston deserved.
Boston twice recovered from double-digit losses on either side of halftime when it looked like the Warriors were ready to cut loose.
Not even a dazzling shooting performance by the Warriors’ Stephen Curry – who exploded to 21 points in the first quarter alone, including a record six three-pointers – could have rattled the Celtics.
Despite a far less experienced line-up — not a single player on the Boston roster had played an NBA Finals game before Thursday — the Celtics refused to crack down on the pressure.
Instead it was the Warriors whose resistance was broken in the fourth quarter, who outsmarted the home side by an astonishing 40-16 margin.
The Warriors have a chance to level the series in Game Two in San Francisco on Sunday.
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