Tolton Rundown: Celtics Do It Again in Game 3

The Celtics did it again–another crucial win for the series. Wednesday night was the first game in Boston, and it was a good one. 

After the Celtics dropped Game 2 in a terrible fashion, they bounced back and took game 3 in Boston. Game 3 was the first game in Boston, which meant the Celtics really had no other choice but to win if they want a chance. 

The Celtics came out hot in the first, which was necessary for this game. They had a 33-22 lead after one. They were shooting the ball very well and Jaylen Brown had 17 first-quarter points. The Celtics entered the second with a comfortable 11-point lead, but they weren’t done. They continued their sharpshooting barrage and built up an 18-point lead and went into the half up 68-56. Jayson Tatum came alive in the second quarter as he tacked on 8 points to give the Celtics a nice cushion.

Throughout this series and for most of the regular season, the Celtics have had a bad tendency to let their leads go in the third quarter. On Wednesday night, the Celtics started the third quarter up 12 and it went downhill from there. The Celtics started off by turning the ball over a few times which turned into points for Golden State. The Celtics were only up by 9 at around the 4-minute mark of the third when Stephen Curry of Golden State drilled a three-plus the foul. At this point, the Celtics were only up by 5 after being up by 18 earlier in the first half. Toward the end of the third quarter, Stephen Curry hit a huge 3 to put the Warriors up by 1 late in the third quarter. Though the Celtics closed out the quarter and headed into the fourth with a 4-point lead.

The Celtics needed a fourth-quarter as they had in game 1 if they wanted to win this game, and that’s exactly what they did. The Celtics had another huge shooting performance from behind the arc, but it wasn’t their offense that won them the game. The Celtics put on a defensive clinic in the fourth quarter that gave both the Celtics and the crowd crazy energy. The Celtics pulled away toward the 5-minute mark of the fourth and won the game 116-100. 

Jaylen Brown finished with 27 for the game while Tatum added 26. Marcus Smart hit two more huge shots at the end of the game, which really helped the Celtics pull away and win; he had 22 points. Robert Williams and Al Horford were the anchors of the Celtic’s defense, as every shot that went up in the paint was being sent back into the third row.

Game 3 really showed the Celtics’ persistence, as they did not give up in the third quarter and kept fighting. Leading the series 2-1, the Celtics are now two games away from turning Boston into the City of Champions again.