The Golden State Warriors were simply no match for the Boston Celtics on MLK Day, falling to an embarrassing 125-85 defeat in front of their home fans at Chase Center.
Not aided by the absences of Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski and Kyle Anderson, the glaring roster weaknesses were made painfully evident for the Warriors who were blown out from late in the first-quarter.
The Warriors were hopelessly outmatched by the Celtics on Monday
While the Celtics laid out shooters all over the floor, Golden State's lack of spacing and general offensive threats once again poured huge pressure on Stephen Curry. Boston went 20-of-48 (41.7%) from 3-point range, while the hosts were limited to 14-of-53 (26.4%) from beyond the arc which included just 39 total points in the first-half.
The obvious shooting disparity may have been one thing, but the fact the Warriors were so outsized and outmuscled just added to their woes. The Celtics regularly took advantage of obvious mismatches, including Curry finding himself on the 7'3" Kristaps Porzingis in the paint on multiple occassions.
The contrast in size and shooting between two teams had never been so blinding, and again reiterated Golden State's roster issues that has them battling just for a spot in the Play-In Tournament.
Cleared for takeoff 🛫 pic.twitter.com/LUFpdhGTBw
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 20, 2025
Curry finished with a team-high 18 points, but took 16 shots to get there and was clearly bothered by his ongoing thumb issue. After a season-high, game-winning 31-point performance against the Washington Wizards on Saturday, Andrew Wiggins came crashing back to earth with just four points and three rebounds on 1-of-11 shooting in nearly 24 minutes.
Dennis Schroder was also ineffective after his franchise-best performance on Saturday, shooting just 3-of-8 from the floor to finish with just seven points and only one assist. He and Wiggins each finished as a game-worst -29 in the 40-point loss.
Moses Moody got to 13 points but shot just 5-of-13 from the floor, with he and Curry the only Warrior players in double figures. Rookie center Quinten Post was actually the third-leading scorer, finishing with nine points and three assists on 4-of-8 shooting after entering late in the third-quarter.
In contrast, the Celtics had six players in double figures led by star forward Jayson Tatum who finished with an efficient 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in less than 29 minutes. The visitors shot 53.3% from the floor, while also committing three less turnovers than Golden State.
The Warriors move back to a .500 record at 21-21 on the season before they visit Sacramento to face the red-hot Kings at Golden 1 Center on Wednesday.