Golden State Warriors vs Boston Celtics Match Player Stats On Nov 16, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Nov 16, 2017

BOSTON -- Kyrie Irving shed his protective face mask in the third quarter, then shed the Golden State Warriors in the fourth.

Irving, having an off night offensively, scored 11 points in the final 4:20 as the Boston Celtics roared from behind to their 14th straight victory, a 92-88 decision over the defending NBA champions on Thursday night.

The loss ended a seven-game winning streak for the Warriors (11-4).

Irving, who suffered a slight facial fracture last week, was just 4 of 16 from the floor, but drained two free throws to break an 88-88 tie with 14 seconds remaining. Rookie Jayson Tatum hit two more with 6.7 seconds left as the Celtics (14-2) equaled their longest winning streak since 2009.

The franchise record is 19 in a row.

With the score tied, Boston called timeout with 20.2 seconds left -- seven seconds on the shot clock. Irving got the ball and went 1-on-1 against Draymond Green, driving past the defender and drawing a foul. With chants of "M-V-P" ringing throughout TD Garden, he calmly made the free throws.

Golden State called time, but Kevin Durant missed a potential tying shot.

Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 22 points and seven rebounds, while Al Horford had 18 points and 11 boards, Irving finished with 16 points and Tatum and Marcus Morris both had 12.

Durant led the visitors with 24 points, but their guard combination of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson combined to shoot 8 of 32 from the floor, 5 of 20 from 3-point range. Thompson had 11 points and Curry, playing with a bruised thigh (he missed Monday's game), had nine points, six rebounds and five assists.

The Celtics were down 66-49 and Irving had just removed his protective mask when the home team ran off 17 straight points to tie the game. It was tied at the end of the third quarter and neither team led by more than four points the rest of the way.

Boston won despite shooting 33 percent from the floor.

NOTES: Boston F Gordon Hayward, out for the season after ankle/leg surgery, was at his first game and was seated behind the bench. ... Warriors coach Steve Kerr, tongue planted firmly in cheek, before the game: "Huge game. The fate of the universe rests upon the results of tonight's Celtics-Warriors matchup." ... The Warriors continue their four-game road trip at Philadelphia on Saturday night, while the Celtics open a three-game road trip at Atlanta on Saturday.