After finishing 10th in the Western Conference and failing to make the playoffs last spring, the Golden State Warriors have jumped out to an eye-catching 6-1 start and are on a mission to reclaim the magic of 2022 — when they beat the Celtics in six games to win the NBA title.
Coming off a sprained ankle that sidelined him 3 games, Stephen Curry returned to the Warriors lineup Monday night in Washington and poured in 24 points — including three 3-pointers — in just 24 minutes.
The 36-year-old sharpshooter’s minutes will likely ramp up, according to head coach Steve Kerr.
“Assuming he feels good (Tuesday) I don’t anticipate a big minutes restriction or anything like that for Boston,” Kerr said after Monday’s game.
Kerr will be under the spotlight himself, coming to Boston for the first time since the 2024 Olympics. Kerr coached Team USA to a gold medal, but did it without much help from Jayson Tatum, who averaged 17.1 minutes per game in France and did not appear in two contests.
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Kerr will also speak to the media for the first time after the candidate he endorsed, Democrat Kamala Harris, lost the election to Donald Trump.
Golden State’s aging core includes 34-year-old Draymond Green, who played his best game of the season versus Washington on Monday, finishing with a season-high 18 points to go with 8 rebounds and 5 assists.
Green is still a defensive monster in his 13th season, leading the Warriors to the second-best defensive rating in the league (102.1). Golden State is fourth in team blocks per game (6.4) and steals per game (9.7) as of Tuesday.
It is unclear if Jaylen Brown will be in the lineup because of a hip flexor strain, an injury that has held him out of Boston’s last two games (both wins). Coach Joe Mazzulla described Brown as “day to day.”
Here’s your preview.
When: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: TD Garden, Boston
TV, radio: ESPN, NBCSB, WBZ-FM 98.5
Line: Boston -7. O/U: 229.5.
WARRIORS
Season record: 6-1. vs. spread: 6-1. Over/under: 4-3
Last 10 games: 7-3. vs. spread: 6-4. Over/under: 5-5
CELTICS
Season record: 7-1. vs. spread: 5-3. Over/under: 3-4, 1 push
Last 10 games: 8-2. vs. spread: 6-4. Over/under: 3-6, 1 push
Stat of the day: The Celtics lead the NBA in 3-pointers made with 152, and the Warriors are tied for 3rd with 115.
Notes: Brown is averaging 25.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game this season. He has missed 14 games since the start of the 2023-24 season, and Boston won all 14. … Tatum carried the Boston offense against the Hawks on Monday by scoring 28 points, 26 of which came in the first half. Tatum has been the leading scorer in six of Boston’s eight games. “He found advantages because he was creating space,” Mazzulla said. “He got a couple in transition. He drove. He had a good balance of shooting threes and driving in the first half, and then they started to hit, and then he was just making plays.” … “I know this is a Finals matchup from a few years ago,” Tatum said ahead of the game. “From that standpoint, getting to play against those guys, we’ve had a lot of battles over the last couple years. So, sure, it’ll be fun.”
