BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 23 of his 32 points in the first half and the Boston Celtics beat the Golden State Warriors 120-99 on Wednesday night.
Jayson Tatum contributed 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who won three consecutive games.
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It was the fifth time in six games that Tatum has scored at least 20 points since making his season debut following Achilles surgery. It also marked his third double-double.
Golden State cut a 21-point third-quarter deficit to 11 early in the fourth quarter, but Boston went on a 17-6 run with just over five minutes left to push the lead back to 22 points.
Gary Payton II and Pat Spencer each scored 14 points to lead the Warriors (6 out of 7). They are 6-13 since star guard Stephen Curry was sidelined with a right knee injury. Draymond Green and Gui Santos each scored 13 points.
Kristaps Porzingis, playing in TD Garden for the first time since winning the 2023-24 championship with Boston, had 11 points and five rebounds.
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Porzingis was traded to the Warriors from Atlanta last month and made his Golden State debut on Feb. 19 against the Celtics in San Francisco. But it was his first game in Boston since the Celtics traded him to the Hawks in July 2025.
Porzingis, a fan favorite in both seasons with the Celtics, received a standing ovation when a video tribute to him was played on the big screen between the first and second quarters. When Porzingis responded, several of his Warriors teammates joined in the applause.
Porzingis opened the game by blocking Tatum’s layup and Neemias Queta’s counterattack on the Celtics’ first possession. He then hit a three-pointer and scored the first point of the game.
But that didn’t stop Boston from going into halftime with a 63-50 lead thanks to Brown and Tatum combining for 39 points.
Next
Warriors: At Detroit on Friday night.
Celtics: At Memphis on Friday night.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA