The last time the Boston Celtics visited the Golden State Warriors came this past March, as they romped their way to a 33-point victory in Oracle Arena behind 30 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists from Gordon Hayward. Eight months later, Boston’s return to California was perhaps as dissimilar as it possibly could be, featuring a whopping eight new starters between the two franchises, an entirely new arena, and — perhaps most surprisingly — some much stiffer competition from the reigning Western Conference champs.
The Celtics’ debut in the Chase Center may not have been as effortless as their Oracle finale, but they still came away with a win over the injury ravaged Warriors all the same.