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Andrew Wiggins scored 26 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as the
Warriors survived a third quarter push from the Celtics to
emerge with the win, with the best-of-seven series heading back
to Boston for Game Six on Thursday.
Wiggins and Klay Thompson did most of the damage for the home
team, combining for 47 points, while Boston committed 18
turnovers and missed 10 free throws at the Chase Center.
Poor shooting saw the Celtics trail by 12 at the half but they
opened the third quarter on a 10-0 run, taking their first lead
of the night at 58-55 via Al Horford's three-pointer.
The momentum then swung back to the Warriors via Jordan Poole's
bank shot from near half-court at the third quarter buzzer, and
they put the game out of reach with an emphatic Wiggins dunk
late in the fourth.
Wiggins, the first overall pick in the 2014 draft who has only
flourished since joining Golden State in 2020, also played
outstanding defense on Boston's Jayson Tatum, who finished with
27 points.
"Throughout the playoffs he's rebounded well," Warriors head
coach Steve Kerr said of Wiggins.
"I think it's just a sense of what's needed. He's got veteran
guys who are helping him to understand what we need from him,
and he's just using his athleticism in a lot of different ways."
Stephen Curry had put the Warriors on his back with a 43-point
performance in Game Four but struggled from distance on Monday,
going 0-9 from three-point range and scoring just 16 points.
But his dazzling drives and playmaking ability was still on
display as he finished with eight assists while putting pressure
on the defense.
"I think Steph was probably due for a game like this," Kerr
said.
"He's been shooting the ball so well that, at some point, he was
going to have a tough night. But we've got a lot of talent and a
lot of depth that can make up for that, and the guys did a good
job of that tonight."
(Reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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