Andrew Wiggins leads Golden State Warriors to 3-2 NBA Finals lead
Andrew Wiggins delivered perhaps the biggest game yet in his eight-year pro career with 26 points and 13 rebounds, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics 104-94 on Monday night for a 3-2 lead in the NBA Finals.
Former Washington State standout Klay Thompson added 21 points for the Warriors.
Golden State’s Stephen Curry contributed 16 points and eight assists but the all-time three-point leader’s league-record streak of 132 straight postseason games with at least one three-point basket ended, along with his NBA-best run of 233 consecutive games with a three-pointer between regular season and playoffs combined.
Curry was 0 for 9 on three-pointers and 7 for 22 overall.
“Uh, keep shooting, very simple,” a smiling Curry said of his approach. “I’m not afraid to go 0-fer or whatever because I’m going to keep shooting.”
Exhibiting a determined confidence and grit all evening, Wiggins drove through the lane for an emphatic one-handed slam with 2:10 left to cap his brilliant performance on both ends of the court. The All-Star is on the cusp of being on a championship team for the first time.
“It’s something I dreamt about for sure, being in the league, and this is the ultimate stage,” Wiggins said. “It doesn’t get bigger than this.”
The best-of-seven series resumes in Boston on Thursday night and if the Celtics can win at home they will return to the Bay Area for a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday.
All five games so far have been decided by 10 or more points.
Boston’s Marcus Smart was whistled for a technical foul and then an offensive foul in a one-second span early in the fourth quarter. He overcame a slow start to score 20 points, while Jayson Tatum had 27 points and 10 rebounds.
Jordan Poole knocked down a 33-foot three from the left wing to beat the third-quarter buzzer as the Warriors took a 75-74 lead into the final 12 minutes after the Celtics roared back in the third quarter.
The Celtics found their own third-quarter magic that has long defined Golden State’s success in the second half.
Boston trailed 51-39 at the break before charging back with a 35-point outburst in the third.