Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, left, soars to the hoop past Golden State Warriors guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (12) during the first half of an NBA game in San Francisco on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021. AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
SAN FRANCISCO — Jayson Tatum had 27 points in picking up the offensive slack for Boston without injured Marcus Smart, and the Celtics withstood another scoring outburst by Stephen Curry to beat the Golden State Warriors 111-107 on Tuesday night.
Curry scored 38 points with seven 3-pointers and joined late Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain as the only Warriors to score 17,000 points for the franchise.
Andrew Wiggins’ layup with a minute to go for Golden State made it a three-point game, but Tatum converted a pair of free throws with 49.6 seconds left and Curry missed a contested 3 moments later.
Jaylen Brown, back in the Bay Area where he starred as a college player at California in Berkeley, drove through the lane for an emphatic, one-handed slam that put the Celtics up 106-96 with 4 minutes left. Curry’s three-point play at the 3:17 mark made it a seven-point game.
Brown wound up with 18 points and 10 rebounds as Boston snapped a two-game skid with its fourth straight victory against Golden State, ending the Warriors’ three-game home winning streak.
Curry, who upped his NBA-best 3-point total to 96, has 17,011 points in his 12 seasons. Chamberlain scored 17,783 in six seasons with the franchise.
Curry’s 3-pointer with 1:03 to go in the third quarter got his team within 81-80. He also had 11 rebounds, eight assists and three steals. The two-time MVP counted on his lesser-known supporting cast of Juan Toscano-Anderson and Kent Bazemore in a matchup of teams each missing a key player.
The Warriors’ already-depleted frontcourt rotation took another hit Tuesday. Rookie No. 2 draft pick James Wiseman is sidelined with a sprained left wrist he hurt during a rout of Detroit on Saturday night. Golden State then lost starting center Kevon Looney to a sprained left ankle that kept him out during the second half.
Boston outscored Golden State 28-17 in the second quarter for a 52-all tie at halftime.
Toscano-Anderson hit a 3-pointer with 4:07 left in the third to keep the Warriors within 72-66. He finished with 16 points to match his career high with his first double-digit scoring outing this season and third of his career.
“Okayyy Juan!” tweeted Sydel Curry-Lee, Curry’s sister and the wife of Warriors guard Damion Lee, a former Maine Red Claws player.
ON THE BOARDS
The Warriors have put a priority on rebounding and coach Steve Kerr has insisted it comes down to focus.
Golden State was outdone on the boards 51-36.
MISSING SMART
Boston played its first game since Smart went down with a torn left calf muscle in the fourth quarter of a 96-95 loss to the Lakers on Saturday night.
“It’s a big loss for them. Marcus is one of their keys,” Kerr said.
Smart, expected to miss two to three weeks, was out for the final 10:28 on Saturday after he was helped off the court following a collision with Montrezl Harrell beneath the basket. Harrell tipped in a missed layup and stepped on Smart’s foot as he came down.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens said he would consider Tatum at the point forward spot if Boston needed him as a ballhandler.
QUOTEABLE
Stevens: “As a fan of the NBA, I missed watching Steph and Klay (Thompson) last year. They’re great for the game in every which way. As an opposing coach, I don’t mind when Steph goes out of the game.”
TIP-INS
Celtics: G Payton Pritchard missed his fifth straight game with a sprained right knee.
Warriors: Golden State hasn’t beaten Boston at home in three tries since a 109-105 victory on Jan. 27, 2018. … F Eric Paschall, who missed the second half Saturday with back spasms, practiced fully Monday and played about 14 minutes in the game.
UP NEXT
Celtics: At the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night to complete a back-to-back and play the second of a five-game West Coast trip.
Warriors: At Dallas on Thursday night for the first of two straight against the Mavericks, followed by two in a row in San Antonio.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
