Golden State Warriors survived a mini-slump to down the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Driven by Andrew Wiggins’ inspired showing, the Dubs made their home-court advantage pay to edge the rubber 104-94. Boston was error-strewn for much of the tie-conceding turnovers, shanking free throws- while allowing their focus to waiver via constant exchanges with the officiators. But after a slow start, the visitors did drag themselves back into the match, only to be blown away by a superior Warriors counter-charge!
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With the series precipitously poised at 3-2, Golden State is a win away from delivering yet another Finals success. But before we pick the bones out of tonight’s duel, here’s a quarter-by-quarter breakdown of the Warriors’ crucial win in their Bay Area base:
Quarter 1: Warriors 27 Celtics 16
A horror show is not how you begin a crunch tie, but Ime Udoka’s wards did just that! Porter Jr. opened the scoring for the home side with an easy layup, but the fun had just begun! Celtics would go five entire minutes without landing a basket while the Warriors made hay on the other side. The visitors did manage to limit Stephen Curry’s shooting, but it mattered little as his teammates enjoyed the relative freedom of the court, picking off points at will. The most emphatic of which had to be Draymond Green’s fake-and-dunk. Receiving the ball just outside the D, Klay Thompson’s decoy run provided just the perfect outlet for him to ghost past a bewildered Grant Williams for an easy two-pointer. The quarter ended with a shooting foul for the Warriors- which they contrived to squander- and a technical foul against Udoka for bickering with the ref!
Quarter 2: Warriors 24 Celtics 23
Shaken out of their slumber, the visitors stirred to life at the start of the second, shaving the deficit to six points. But for all their hustle, they lacked the quality to bury their chances, especially their three-point attempts. Tatum would deliver their first points from outside the D 8 minutes into the quarter, snapping a 0-for-12 streak. Wiggins was slick throughout, combining effectively with Curry for a flurry of baskets! The quarter would close out the half, with the Warriors leading by 12.
Quarter 3: Warriors 24 Celtics 35
Boston put aside their first-half stupor to storm back into the contest. Doing to Golden State, what they’ve done to all and sundry, the visitors spread panic across the Chase Centre in the third, sneaking into a three-point lead halfway into the quarter. The Warriors’ offence was blunted for the first time on the night, while the Celtics finally began to drop those three-pointers. Tatum, Horford, Williams, Smart and Brown began to run the show, much to Steve Kerr’s annoyance. At one stage, the Celtics led 61-66, but a bruising back-and-forth later, the home side finally nudged ahead just as the gong went off! With seconds remaining on the clock, Brown attempted a three-pointer which ricocheted off the rim and fell into Wiggins’ grateful hands. He would offload to Jordan Poole with three seconds on the clock. Poole would do the needful, letting fly from afar to nail a buzzer-beating three-pointer! A frenetic quarter thus ended with the score at 75-74.
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Quarter 4: Warriors 29 Celtics 20
The dramatic end to the previous quarter was just the tonic Golden State needed. The fourth began with two forceful plays from the home side, putting a lid on all talk of a Celtics’ comeback. First, Wiggins would power through the court, holding off two Celtics players in the paint before dropping a tight layup. Klay Thompson would then send Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart skidding across the surface to find room to shoot an easy three-pointer. Poole’s arcing two-pointer from just inside the D was his 14th in 13 hot minutes. It set the tone for the quarter as the Warriors pulled into a double-digit lead, eventually winning by 10.
Also Read: NBA finals: What are the chances of Golden State Warriors winning the title?
The finals resume three days from now at Boston’s TD Gardens. In a must-win clash, the Celtics will need to channel more of the third-quarter energy to stand a shot at stretching the series to a seventh game.
