The reeling Warriors have now gone 9-18 since a 12-3 start and fallen to the outside looking in at the Western Conference play-in race.
Monday’s Warriors-Celtics game was a matchup of championship-winning franchises that faced off for the NBA title just three seasons ago.
Only one team on Monday looked remotely like a playoff team, much less a title contender in 2025. In the marquee matchup of the NBA’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day slate, the Celtics blew out the Warriors, 125-85 on Golden State’s home court.
The home loss was the worst for Golden State since Steve Kerr took over as head coach in 2014. In fact, it was Golden State’s most lopsided defeat at home since a 149-104 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 15, 1985.
In 2022, the Warriors defeated the Celtics in the NBA Finals for the fourth championship of the Stephen Curry era. Since then, the Celtics have won a championship and become one of the league’s dominant forces. They’ve moved leaps and bounds past the formerly dynastic Warriors.
With Monday’s win, the Celtics improved to 30-13, good for second place in the East behind the Cleveland Cavaliers. The loss dropped the Warriors to 21-21 and 11th place in the West, where they’d be on the outside looking in at the play-in field if it were the end of the season.
The Warriors played without multiple injured rotation players, including Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski. But there was little to suggest that their presence Monday would have made any difference in the outcome.
Boston opened a 29-18 first-quarter lead that it extended to 54-39 at halftime. An 11-0 third quarter run extended the Boston advantage to 71-44 and ensured that the blowout was on. A sequence during that run exemplified the lopsided effort on both sides of the floor.
Celtics guard Derrick White stripped the ball from Andrew Wiggins in transition and tipped it to teammate Jrue Holiday. Holiday then threw a downcourt pass that both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had a chance to corral for and easy bucket. Tatum came up with the ball and dunked it home to extend the run to 9-0.
Holiday had a couple of receivers to choose from 😅
Tatum has 19 PTS so far ✨ pic.twitter.com/vs3H2jb4Is
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 20, 2025
There would be no Warriors rally.
The Celtics got a well-rounded effort on offense with six players scoring in double figures while shooting 41.7% (20-of-48) from 3-point distance. On defense they stifled a struggling Warriors team that’s now lost five of its last eight games and 18 of 27 since a 12-3 start.
Just two Warriors scored in double figures as Golden State shot 34.8% from the field and 26.4% (14-of-53) from 3-point distance. Curry was the only starter to reach double figures with a team-high 18 points on a 6-of-16 shooting effort (4-of-12 from 3).
No other Warriors starter scored more than seven points. Moses Moody was Golden State’s other double-figure scorer with 13 points off the bench.
Boston countered with a game-high 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists from Tatum, who was one of four Celtics starters to reach double figures. Kristaps Porziņģis tallied 18 points, while Brown added 17.
The Celtics remain out West for three more games against the Clippers, Lakers and Mavericks before returning home to Boston. The Warriors will look to bounce back with a road game against the Kings on Wednesday as they attempt to remain afloat in the competitive Western Conference.
