Instant observations and real-time tweets from Game 3 of the 2022 NBA Finals as it happened in Boston on Wednesday night.
Brian Martin, for NBA.com
June 9, 2022 4:52 AM
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are the 1st pair of teammates in Celtics’ history to each record 25+ points in a Finals game at age 25 or younger.
• Complete coverage: 2022 NBA Finals
Behind another dominant third quarter, the Golden State Warriors evened the 2022 NBA Finals at 1-1 on Sunday in San Francisco. But the series – and the home-court advantage – has shifted to Boston as Game 3 gets set to tip off from TD Garden. How important is Game 3? Let’s look to history: teams that win Game 3 of a 1-1 NBA Finals go on to win the series 82.1% of the time (32-7).
Here are 24 thoughts on Game 3 as it unfolded in Boston.
24. BANG! After missing the first two games of The Finals due to health and safety protocols, Mike Breen is back on the mic to call Game 3 alongside his longtime partners Jeff Van Gundy (who returned in Game 2) and Mark Jackson, as well as Lisa Salters working the sideline. Props to Mark Jones for holding things down in Games 1 and 2. Does Breen unleash all the “BANGS” he didn’t use in Games 1 and 2 while he was sidelined tonight?
23. A few highlights from warmups, including Marcus Smart’s trademark backward shot and Steph Curry’s red-hot shooting (17 straight shots before tip-off). Oh, and the Warriors’ rim being two-inches too high.
☘ Marcus Smart’s pre-game ritual lives on!#AllAbout18 host Game 3 of the #NBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV at 9pm/et on ABC pic.twitter.com/OKfvdJNFLv
— NBA (@NBA) June 9, 2022
Stephen Curry is ON FIRE in warmups! *17 straight*
Get your popcorn and lock in to ABC NOW
Game 3: GSW vs. BOS, 9pm/et on ABC#NBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV 🏆 pic.twitter.com/txQRgwAoWb
— NBA (@NBA) June 9, 2022
Steph Curry’s range is incredible 🤯
To the logo and back in warm-ups!
Game 3 of the #NBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV tips off at 9pm/et on ABC pic.twitter.com/aH49xAROA1
— NBA (@NBA) June 9, 2022
The Warriors had to pause warmups due to the rim being too high.
🎥 @NBCSWarriorspic.twitter.com/wqCUGFBgjk
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 9, 2022
22. The Celtics have yet to lose back-to-back games in the 2022 postseason as they are 6-0 following a loss. In those six games, they have averaged 110.3 points per game on 46-39-83 shooting splits and won by an average of 15.5 points per game. Can they keep that streak going tonight?
21. Perhaps the best moment from yesterday’s media session was Klay Thompson discussing his recent shooting woes – 30.3 FG%, 26.7 3P% entering Game 3 – and searching YouTube for Game 6 Klay to watch some highlights when his shot was falling.
“I probably did it yesterday actually”
Klay Thompson on pulling up “Game 6 Klay” on YouTube to get through shooting slumps.#NBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV Media Availability pic.twitter.com/CMGYQlKweT
— NBA (@NBA) June 7, 2022
Klay may need to pull up the iPad on the Warriors bench because he’s missed his first two shots of the game – both from three – both off the back rim.
20. The Jaylen Brown vs. Draymond Green matchup is one to watch – especially after their dust-up in Game 2. Midway through the first quarter, we get Brown one-on-one against Green on the perimeter. Brown uses a nice crossover to free himself for the shot and gets it to go.
Draymond said not in his house ❌
Game 3 Live Now on ABC pic.twitter.com/VR9RTNDQIF
— NBA (@NBA) June 9, 2022
Less than 90 seconds later, Brown gets the ball on the wing on a Boston fast break, but Green denies him at the rim. On the very next possession, Brown drives on a Green for a lefty layup as the Boston crowd lets out a round of anti-Draymond chants.
19. Steph Curry picks up his second foul with 5:44 remaining in the first quarter. Steve Kerr faces a tough decision on whether to risk the third foul early by keeping him in the game or risk seeing Boston’s 18-9 lead increase by taking him out. Kerr keeps Curry on the floor.
18. Al Horford is taking full advantage of the smaller Warriors’ defensive lineup on the floor, he’s up to seven points on 3-for-3 shooting to put Boston up 26-11 and force a Golden State timeout.
Horford throws it down to push the Celtics’ lead to 15 😳 pic.twitter.com/Q02MULbGHO
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 9, 2022
Al Horford is absolutely flying around to start off this game. Back to the guy who was excellent in Game 1. He’s such a bellwether for this Celtics team.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) June 9, 2022
17. Another great start for Jaylen Brown, who is up to 14 points with just under minutes remaining in the first quarter. He just got a dunk off a great backdoor cut and a perfect delivery by Marcus Smart. Warriors 15, Brown 14.
Jaylen Brown cuts back door and drops the 🔨
He’s up to 17 points on ABC pic.twitter.com/AwMk05Zkm9
— NBA (@NBA) June 9, 2022
16. Klay Thompson finally gets a 3 to fall late in the first quarter, adds a pair of free throws to cut the Boston lead to 11 at the end of the first quarter – Celtics 33, Warriors 22.
Boston shoots 55% (12-22) from the field and 40% from 3 in the first quarter, while Golden State shot just 35% (8-23) and 20% from deep.
Jaylen Brown single-handedly outplayed the Warriors there. 17 points, 5 rebs, 3 assists for 7 points. Boston up 33-22.
— Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) June 9, 2022
Players to have at least 15 PTS, 5 REB, and 3 AST in the 1st quarter of a playoff game since 1997:
LeBron JamesStephen CurryTim DuncanVince CarterJames Harden
Jaylen Brown (tonight) #NBAFinals | @celtics pic.twitter.com/8RGRevcXwH
— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) June 9, 2022
15. Klay is officially heating up. In less than 90 seconds, he knocks down a three, gets a pull-up jumper in the lane and a pair of free throws to give him 12 of Golden State’s first 29 points.
Klay Thompson’s positive visualization seems to be paying off. Game is so mental, especially shooting!
— Ros Gold-Onwude (@ROSGO21) June 9, 2022
14. In Game 1, we got playmaker Tatum with a career-best 13 dimes as he struggled to hit shots. In Game 2, Tatum scored a team-high 28 points. But so far in Game 3, we’re getting the best of both: he’s knocking down shots and finding open teammates.
Jayson Tatum whips it cross-court to Payton Pritchard for 3!
Game 3 Live Now on ABC pic.twitter.com/1j2c4QfTE8
— NBA (@NBA) June 9, 2022
Tatum ↗ Smart#NBAFinals presented @YouTubeTV Live Now on ABC pic.twitter.com/DbhxewW579
— NBA (@NBA) June 9, 2022
The pull up 3 in transition ☘ pic.twitter.com/zsAc6Udc1F
— NBA (@NBA) June 9, 2022
13. Boston is dominating inside in Game 3 – they’ve already hit as many field goals in the paint in the first 1 ½ quarters of Game 3 (12-for-14 with 5:31 left in 2Q) as they did in all of Game 2 (12-for-30).
The Celtics shot 12-for-30 in the paint in Game 2, per https://t.co/rPv60Gynsd.
They’re 12-for-14 in the paint so far tonight.
— Zach Kram (@zachkram) June 9, 2022
The Celtics already have as many points in the paint tonight as they did in all of game 2 (24)
— Kirk Goldsberry (@kirkgoldsberry) June 9, 2022
Celtics hot! Brown got it started. Tatum’s going right at Steph.Rob Williams w/ high impact minutes: 2 offensive rebounds & 2 blocks.
And all good things for Celtics have gone through the paint first.
— Ros Gold-Onwude (@ROSGO21) June 9, 2022
12. Curry’s been able to stay in the game with his fouls, but its clearly hampering his defense as he tries to avoid another whistle, which has been great for the Celtics’ offense.
Curry’s been better for the Celtics’ offense than that of the Warriors this evening.
— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) June 9, 2022
This effect is an underplayed part of the debate over whether to bench players in foul trouble. Obviously Steph’s offense is easily worth keeping him on the court, but that calculation is more difficult for marginal starters. https://t.co/N7MoqCbjLO
— Kevin Pelton (@kpelton) June 9, 2022
11. A quick 8-0 spurt by the Warriors cuts lead to 9 and forces a timeout. In a span of 40 seconds, the Warriors got a 3-pointer from Thompson, a dunk by Wiggins and another triple by Curry off a Celtics’ turnover. Golden State has now scored 14 points off eight Boston turnovers.
The @warriors respond with an 8-0 run 🔥
Stephen Curry caps it off with a triple.#NBAFinals presented @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/1wjjt6QZYM
— NBA (@NBA) June 9, 2022
10. A big sequence here late in the first half. After a Tatum drive and miss, Draymond Green grabs the rebound, takes a few dribbles upcourt and launches a pass to ignite a transition scoring opportunity for Golden State that can cut the lead to eight points. Instead, Horford breaks up the pass, gets the steal, passes ahead to Tatum who is still behind the play, Draymond recovers to defend Tatum, but no one ran with Brown as Tatum dishes off to him for a thunderous dunk to push the lead back to 12.
Jaylen Brown with AUTHORITY#NBAFinals presented @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/uqeXybcHMV
— NBA (@NBA) June 9, 2022
Here’s another angle
Jayson finds Jaylen for the fast break dunk 🤝 pic.twitter.com/vMmv8CAIKz
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 9, 2022
9. With Brown leading the way with 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the field and 4-for-6 from 3-point range, Boston leads 68-56 at the half. After he started hot and sizzled off in Game 2, there was no cooling off in Game 3. Tatum added 11 points and five assists for Boston.
Most points in the 1st half of a #NBAFinals game for the Boston Celtics since 1996-97:
27 – Ray Allen in Game 2 of 2010 Finals vs. LAL22 – Jaylen Brown tonight
21 – Paul Pierce in Game 5 of 2008 Finals vs. LAL#NBA | @celtics | #CelticsVsWarriors
— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) June 9, 2022
Thompson leads the Warriors with 15 points, recovering from a slow start and eventually finding his shot. Curry added 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting (2-for-4 from 3) despite the foul trouble and 13 points from Wiggins.
8. Will the Warriors deliver another 3-quarter knockout? Throughout the series, Golden State is plus-35 in the third quarter and minus-40 in all other quarters. Both teams open with the bigs doing the work – a layup by Robert Williams, a dunk by Kevon Looney and a layup by Horford.
The Warriors have dominated the third quarter in this series ⚡️
@CassidyHubbarth and @CJMcCollum broke down the adjustments Golden State has made in the Finals. pic.twitter.com/V2vOI5LbQd
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 9, 2022
Curry gets the guards going with his third 3-pointer of the game to cut the lead to 11. And another triple to cut it to eight in 2 ½ minutes. Curry draws a charge on the other end, but is unable to keep the run going with a missed layup. He then picks up his fourth foul on a transition 3-point attempt by Marcus Smart. A really bad foul on Curry, who’s been plagued by foul trouble all night long.
Steph Curry knocks down the TOUGH contested 3 🎯#NBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/lQzOuhLTvT
— NBA (@NBA) June 9, 2022
“Did I foul you?”#NBAFinals #DubNation pic.twitter.com/L4XwsiWpJD
— 𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙞𝙣’ 𝙉𝘽𝘼 (@_Talkin_NBA) June 9, 2022
7. Throughout the playoffs, Curry has hit the goodnight celebration after delivering a knockout blow late in the game. Early in the third quarter, the Celtics turned the tables and caught the Warriors sleeping. After a turnover – Smart deflected a pass intended for Draymond Green, but the ball last touched Green before going out of bounds — the Warriors failed to get back in transition and Horford launched a near full-court pass to an open Jaylen Brown for a dunk to give him 24 points, push the lead back to 13 and force a Warriors timeout.
Another look at Al Horford long distance dime to Jaylen Brown!#NBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV 🏆 pic.twitter.com/isViR34d6n
— NBA (@NBA) June 9, 2022
6. This has to be the first seven-point possession I’ve ever seen. It begins with a Curry pull-up 3-pointer from about five feet behind the arc. Horford tries to contest the shot late and in doing so, fouls Curry and enters his landing area. So not only is this a potential four-point play, the officials review it and determine a flagrant penalty 1 assessed to Horford.
Curry gets two free throw attempts to complete the four-point play (he only needs one to get it), then it’s Warriors ball. On the ensuing possession, Otto Porter hits a wild 3-point shot to give the Warriors seven points without a Celtics offensive possession. The lead is now down to two points with 4:53 to play.
STEPH FROM DEEP + THE FOUL 🤯 pic.twitter.com/W9Zg5f6Exn
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 9, 2022
5. Curry with another triple to put the Warriors up 83-82 – their first lead since it was 2-0. After scoring 14 points in the third quarter of Game 2, Curry is already up to 15 in the quarter in Game 3.
Steph Curry drains the 3 to give the @warriors the lead!
He’s up to 15 points in Q3 on ABC 🔥 pic.twitter.com/uJ9NE8aS63
— NBA (@NBA) June 9, 2022
Smart answers back with a 3-pointer for Boston to put the Celtics back in the lead – it’s his first 3 of the game.
The game stays within five points the rest of the quarter even with Golden State sitting Steph for the final three minutes to avoid another foul before the fourth. Klay is up to 25 points for the Warriors – a much needed bounce-back game from him.
Klay Thompson knocks down his 5th 3-pointer of the night!
He’s up to 25 points for the @warriors on ABC pic.twitter.com/Q6IdsQOnf9
— NBA (@NBA) June 9, 2022
4. So at the end of the third quarter, the Celtics maintain the lead 93-89, but the Warriors are right on their heels. Curry and Thompson combined for 25 points in the third quarter, matching the entire Celtics team. The Warriors won the period 33-25, making them plus-43 in the third quarter in The Finals.
Third quarter points in this series
Warriors: 106
Celtics: 63
They’ve gone +14, +21 and now +8
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) June 9, 2022
Third-quarter Golden State Warriors >>>
(via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/wUrTNsQNW2
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) June 9, 2022
4 point game entering Q4 on ABC!@warriors 89 | @celtics 93
Start of Q4 on ABC pic.twitter.com/TgPuqdHo8P
— NBA (@NBA) June 9, 2022
Stephen Curry has five 3-pointers in 3 straight games, tied for the longest streak within a single Finals all-time pic.twitter.com/dip9Qeq3bu
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 9, 2022
3. The Celtics have a great response to open the fourth quarter, with a 9-2 run to push their lead back to double digits. The run included a pair of free throws for Tatum (he’s up to 20 points), a banked 3-pointer by Smart, a sweet turnaround jumper from Tatum and a putback layup by Grant Williams.
The only Warriors points in that span came on a sweet move by Jordan Poole to evade the rim protection of Robert Williams.
Filthy move from Jordan Poole on Robert Williams III 👀 pic.twitter.com/wjDYzryinL
— ESPN (@espn) June 9, 2022
The Williams putback is back as it was the 13th offensive rebound of the game for the Celtics as they have dominated the glass. While the Celtics didn’t have an answer to the Warriors’ third-quarter avalanche in Game 2, they did respond here and it’s put them in a strong position to close the game.
2. The Warriors keep fighting, but Boston continues to answer. After a Curry three cuts the lead to eight, the Celtics go on a 6-0 spurt to push it back to 14. Again, much was made of the disparity in Finals experience between these teams, but you’re seeing a mature response from this Celtics team right now. They are not giving up control of this game.
What a move by Tatum! 🔥
He’s got 26 PTS ☘️
(via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/VuknQmFWjH
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) June 9, 2022
Celtics only have 4 turnovers in the 2nd half. #MajorKey
— Ros Gold-Onwude (@ROSGO21) June 9, 2022
We also have to shout out the Boston defense and a few monster blocks in the fourth quarter by Williams and Brown. Enjoy the block party below.
Time-Lord with the emphatic rejection ❌
Game 3 Live Now on ABC pic.twitter.com/8wifQQ1d5z
— NBA (@NBA) June 9, 2022
22 minutes from Robert Williams and he’s still flying around snuffing actions all over the court. Not sure what they’ll get from him in 48 hours, but man has he been the difference tonight.
— John Hollinger (@johnhollinger) June 9, 2022
Jaylen Brown with the SWAT 🖐️pic.twitter.com/JeUs1QhbsV
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 9, 2022
Damn Jaylen Brown is so good on both ends. He and Jayson Tatum have brought it. Crazy to think folks wanted to blow them up earlier this year!
— Ros Gold-Onwude (@ROSGO21) June 9, 2022
1. A crazy sequence with about four minutes left includes multiple players diving over one another and battling for a loose ball. It ends with Smart emerging from the pack with the ball and he’s fouled by Green, his sixth and final foul of the night. Curry’s leg got caught underneath Horford and he emerged from the play limping a bit.
Draymond finished Game 3 with:
• 2 PTS• 4 REB• 3 AST• 1 BLK
• 6 FOULS pic.twitter.com/cky1T3lAnt
— The Crossover (@TheCrossover) June 9, 2022
Shortly thereafter, the Celtics delivered the knockout blow with this big-to-big alley-oop from Horford to Williams to put Boston up 112-98 with under four minutes to play.
Al Horford to Time Lord for the alley-oop slam! pic.twitter.com/I7BHQQhY7v
— NBA (@NBA) June 9, 2022
A minute later, the Warriors waived the white flag and emptied their bench, conceding Game 3 and looking ahead to Game 4 less than 48 hours from now – the quickest turnaround between games in this series.
0. The final buzzer sounds on a 116-100 win for the Celtics. Boston got 27 points from Jaylen Brown, 26 points and 9 assists from Jayson Tatum and 24 points from Marcus Smart.
Jaylen Brown (25 years, 227 days) and Jayson Tatum (24 years, 97 days) are the first pair of Celtics teammates in franchise history to each record 25+ points in a #NBAFinals game at age 25 or younger. pic.twitter.com/dCgsHakTqa
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) June 9, 2022
Curry led all scorers with 31 points, while Thompson scored 25 points and Wiggins added 18 for Golden State.
What will Golden State have in response on Friday night (9 ET, ABC)? So far this series has gone back and forth each game; can they keep that pattern going or will Boston seize the opportunity to go up 3-1 on their home floor? We’ll be back on Friday night to find out.