SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Jaylen Brown had 23 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists for his third triple-double of the season and the Boston Celtics beat the Stephen Curry-less Golden State Warriors 121-110 on Thursday night.
Payton Pritchard scored 26 points and Sam Hauser added 16 to help Boston win for the seventh time in eight games and spoil former Celtic Kristaps Porzingis’ Golden State debut.
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Brown, the Eastern Conference’s leading scorer before the All-Star break, tied his career high in rebounds, all on the defensive end. His 13 assists set a career high.
It was the All-Star’s fifth career triple-double.
Porzingis played 99 games and won a championship over two seasons in Boston before being traded to Atlanta in the summer. The Warriors acquired him from the Hawks at the trade deadline, but the oft-injured 7-foot-2 center has been nursing a left Achilles tendon injury.
The Warriors were without two-time NBA MVP Curry with a knee injury. The Golden State Warriors are 6-11 on the season when Curry misses games.
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It’s hard for the Golden State Warriors to make progress without their star player.
The Warriors’ De’Anthony Melton scored 18 points, and Will Richard and Gui Santos each scored 17 points. Porzingis scored 12 points.
Boston led by 30 points but had to hang on when the Golden State Warriors struck in the fourth quarter. Gary Payton II’s dunk brought the Warriors within 111-99 with six minutes left, and Pritchard hit back-to-back 3-pointers.
Brown scored eight points and was one of eight Celtics scorers in the first quarter.
Boston then kicked off the game. The Celtics went on a 17-2 run in the second quarter, breaking through Porzingis many times and leading 74-51 at halftime.
Next
Celtics: Host the Lakers on Sunday in Los Angeles.
Warriors: Host the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA