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BOSTON – By its strictest definition, Game 4 was not a must-win for the Golden State Warriors.
But it was also a game the Warriors couldn’t miss.
A 3-1 deficit against the Boston Celtics would have been disastrous.
Steph Curry made sure that didn’t happen. He scored a game-high 43 points and lifted the Warriors to a 107-97 win over Boston in Game 4 on Friday.
Trailing 94-90 with 5:18 to go in the fourth quarter, the Warriors went on a 10-0 run to take a 100-94 lead over a Curry 3 with 1:42 to play.
It was the best game of this final and the Celtics learned how hard it will be to take out the Warriors. Golden State extended its run of winning a playoff game on the road to 27 series, and this win was much needed.
GAME 4 SUMMARY:How the Warriors held out for crucial victory
TROLLS:Celtics fans give Draymond standing ovation for early foul troubles
The 2-2 series is now a best-of-3 with Game 5 on Monday in San Francisco (9 p.m. ET, ABC). Here are four key takeaways from Game 4:
Steph the scoring machine
Any shot Curry fires – wherever it is – has a chance to go in. Curry had his third game of 30 points of the series, finishing with 43.
He scored 14 points in the third quarter and 10 in the fourth and had 12 of his 19 points in the first half in the first quarter.
Curry made 14-for-26 shots from the field, including 7-for-14 on 3s. He also had 10 rebounds and four assists.
This time Curry had enough help in scoring to make sure his effort wasn’t in vain. It was Curry’s second 40-point performance in the final in his career. He had 47 in Game 3 against Toronto in 2019.
He averages 34.3 points in the Finals, and if the Warriors win two more games, Curry will be on his way to his first Finals MVP award.
The Jays Show
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are a handful for the Warriors.
Tatum had 23 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, and Brown had 21 points, 10 of them in the second quarter. Tatum’s shot and play continue to shine, and Brown’s steady play should not be taken for granted.
Both have an average of 22 plus points in the Finals and will be Finals MVP candidates if Boston wins the series.
However, both are prone to turnover and Tatum had six and Brown had three on Friday. Boston’s 16 turnovers led to 19 Warriors points.
Short term lineup change
Golden State coach Steve Kerr started Otto Porter Jr. instead of Kevon Looney in Game 4, and Kerr didn’t stick with that lineup for long. After two early offensive rebounds from the Celtics, Kerr went to Looney at 7:23 of the first quarter. The Warriors defeated the Celtics 21-16 for the remainder of the quarter with Looney on the field.
Early in the series, when asked about lineup changes, Kerr said: “You never rule out anything. It’s something that we as a staff discuss every day. Should we include another player in the rotation? Should we change a combination, lineup combination? All those things are discussed, and we just take the best decision we think can be made and get on with it.”
Finally, help scoring Curry
The Warriors were looking for more goals after Curry in this series. They finally got the help they needed in Game 4.
Klay Thompson had 18 points and Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole had their best games of the series. Wiggins had 17 points and 16 rebounds, and Poole had 14 points on 6-for-13 shooting.
The Warriors were also able to neutralize Boston’s size. They rebounded the Celtics 55-42 and defeated them 19-12 on second chance points.
Follow Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt†
