Jaylen Brown led the way with 29 points, while Jayson Tatum added 27 on his 26th birthday as the Boston Celtics, the top team in the NBA, dominated the Golden State Warriors 140-88 on Sunday to achieve the third-largest winning margin in franchise history.
Payton Pritchard also contributed 19 points for the Celtics, who set a league record with their third 50-point victory of the season and extended their winning streak to 11 games. The Celtics led by a massive 44 points at halftime, which was a franchise record, and extended it to 51 early in the third quarter before giving their reserves playing time for the rest of the game.
Over the past 11 games, the Celtics have been beating their opponents by an average of 22.1 points, which is the best point differential over a win streak of at least 10 games in NBA history, according to Elias Sports Bureau research.
During their past six games, the Celtics have outscored their opponents by 29.8 points per game, achieving two 50-point wins in the process, a feat only two other teams have accomplished in a single season. This marks the best point differential over a six-game span in NBA history, surpassing the 1971-72 Lakers who had a +28.3 point differential during a win streak.
“It feels great, but, at the same time, it’s always within humility,” Brown said. “We don’t take the game for granted. We didn’t come and mess around and that’s just how we show our respect to the game, we handle business and take care of it. … It’s a lot of respect for the Golden State Warriors, but we feel like it’s our time now.”
Stephen Curry had a season-low four points for the Golden State Warriors and didn’t play in the second half. His performance was his lowest scoring output since March 16, 2022, when he had three points in 16 minutes due to a foot injury. Curry struggled on Sunday, going 2-of-13 from the field and missing all 9 of his 3-point attempts, including consecutive airballs in the opening quarter.
“The way that they’ve been playing, they seem very sure of themselves in their identity and who they are,” Curry said. “Give them credit. They came out and whooped us tonight from the jump, and it was one of those perfect storms of a rough [day] on our end and them taking it to us.”
This defeat marked the fourth-worst loss in franchise history for the Warriors. Despite winning 11 of their last 13 games, the Warriors struggled in this East Coast trip, including three games in four days and a challenging journey to Toronto where they were stuck on a tarmac for hours overnight.
Lester Quinones led the Warriors with 17 points in 33 minutes, as none of the starters played more than 20 minutes. Only Moses Moody, with 11 points, reached double figures in scoring.
“We lost,” Draymond Green acknowledged. “Just flush it and move on.”
The Celtics’ victory against the Warriors ranks as the third-largest in franchise history, with only two other bigger blowouts: 133-77 against Chicago in 2018 and 128-75 against Sacramento in 2022. Celtics forward Kristaps Porzingis missed the game due to a bruised left quad.
The game started with a tie at 21-all in the first quarter before the Celtics went on a 14-0 run, part of a 58-13 spree that put them up by 35 late in the second quarter.
Brown initiated the run with three consecutive 3-pointers in a 40-second span, taking advantage of Green’s lax defense. Brown scored 19 points in the period, hitting 5 of 8 3-pointers, to give Boston a 44-22 lead.
“First time it’s ever happened to me,” Brown said of the unusual defensive strategy. “Honestly, I was a bit surprised. It took a little bit of adjusting and I think we just took advantage of whatever that attempt was and made the best of it.”
“If you want to dare me to shoot, we can do that, too,” he added. “I thought it was a little disrespectful, but we took advantage of it and we didn’t look back.”
Curry, questionable due to right knee bursitis, decided to play but struggled in the opening quarter, missing his first 3-pointer and airballing the next two.
“Boston was amazing,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr. “We weren’t beating them today. This was not a day off for Steph, though he probably could have used one. He’s played so well and for so long this year, hopefully the next few days he’ll get it recharged.”
In the first quarter, Boston shot 62.5% from 3-point range (10-of-16) and 57.1% overall (16-of-28).
Tatum’s 3-pointer from the left wing extended the lead to 74-34 in the second quarter.
The Warriors struggled from beyond the arc, missing 15 of 18 3-point attempts in the first half, while Boston made as many 3-pointers (15-of-24) as Golden State had total baskets in the half.
Boston received a standing ovation from the fans at halftime, heading into the break with an 82-38 lead.
During the second half, the fans were somewhat subdued in the nationally televised matchup between two teams that faced off in the NBA Finals two years ago, with Golden State emerging victorious in that series.
Tatum received a standing ovation from the crowd when his birthday wishes were displayed during the final quarter, and he acknowledged the gesture with a smile.
ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.