BOSTON – This was not one of Kyrie Irving’s better games. But to his credit, he did what the game’s best players do and that’s deliver when the game matters most.
Irving scored seven of Boston’s last nine points which lifted them to a 92-88 victory over Golden State.
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He finished with 16 points, 11 of which came in the fourth quarter with the bulk of those fourth quarter points – seven actually – coming from the free throw line.
“He got to the free throw line a lot. That’s it. He didn’t make no shots,” said Draymond Green. “He got to the free throw line. Whether they were fouls or not, that’s a whole other discussion. He got to the free throw line.”
And in doing so, gave the Celtics their best win of the season.
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Here are the Stars, Studs and Duds from Boston’s 92-88 win over Golden State to extend the Celtics’ winning streak to 14 in a row.
STARS
Kyrie Irving: The final numbers for Kyrie Irving – 16 points on 4-for-16 shooting – don’t look good. But Irving gave the Celtics just enough down the stretch for them to get the victory.
Kevin Durant: The Warriors rarely lose, let alone lose on a night when Durant has an efficient game shooting the ball. He led all scorers with 24 points on 9-for-18 shooting along with three, rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots.
Jaylen Brown: Kyrie Irving’s late-game heroics aside, Brown was the difference-maker for Boston. He led the Celtics with 22 points along with being a spark defensively to some of the team’s biggest runs against the Warriors.
STUDS
Al Horford: One of the few Celtics who shot the ball well, Horford had a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds which came on 7-for-11 shooting.
DUDS
Marcus Smart: Smart missed all seven of his shots from the field and finished with just one point. Boston has continued to find ways to win, but it’s getting harder and harder to do so with Smart struggling so mightily from the field night-in and night-out.
Golden State backcourt: Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are arguably the best backcourt in the NBA, but you would not have known it by the way they shot the ball on Thursday night. The two all-stars tallied 22 points but did so on a horrific 8-for-32 shooting from the field.
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