(Boston) Stephen Curry scored 43 points as the Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics 107-97 on Friday to tie the NBA Finals with two wins apiece.
Posted at 7:21 a.m.
Curry went seven-for-14 on three-point shooting.
Klay Thompson added 18 points, Canadian Andrew Wiggins 17 and Jordan Poole 14.
Draymond Green was limited to two points, but he provided nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals.
Wiggins grabbed 16 rebounds, Kevon Looney 11 and Curry 10.
For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart had 23, 21 and 18 points, respectively.
Tatum was four-for-eight for three-pointers.
Backup Derrick White contributed the gallant total of 16 points, including a three-for-five record for long range shots.
Game 5 will be played Monday night in San Francisco.
A three-point shot from Thompson gave Golden State a 95-94 cushion, with 4:26 on the clock.
Curry quickly followed up with a long two-point shot, after playing with speed and agility to get past center Robert Williams.
Curry tightened the noose with a three-pointer with 1:42 remaining, for the score at 100-94.
“This guy has heart, it’s unbelievable,” Thompson said. We sometimes take for granted everything he accomplishes, how he carries us on his back. We need to do more to help him on Monday. »
Al Horford gave the crowd some hope with a three-point shot, but Looney added a field goal and Brown committed a turnover.
“We took the tougher road to get here,” said Celtics coach Ime Udoka, whose team was tied 2-2 in the previous two series. You have to go down the same path again. We know we can regain control. We have already done that. »
Golden State finished the game with a 17-3 push.
“Stephen wasn’t going to let us lose,” Green said. I saw it in his gestures of the last days, that he would play with this kind of intensity. »
Earlier Friday, the Associated Press reported that the Charlotte Hornets will hand over the reins of the team to Kenny Atkinson, one of Warriors coach Steve Kerr’s assistants.
A source familiar with the matter spoke anonymously, as Atkinson has not yet signed a contract.
The 55-year-old Atkinson went 118-190 in nearly four seasons at the helm of the Brooklyn Nets, beginning in 2016-17.
The club was then under reconstruction.
Another Kerr assistant, Mike Brown, was hired as head coach of the Sacramento Kings.
Only the Utah Jazz is still looking for a pilot, following the recent departure of Quin Snyder.
Charlotte hasn’t made the playoffs since 2016.
The club were washed out of the qualifying tournament two years in a row, costing James Borrego his job.
Star player LaMelo Ball is the centerpiece, surrounded in particular by Terry Rozier, Miles Bridges and Gordon Hayward. The latter has often been sidelined due to injuries, however.