BOSTON — The Celtics traveled to San Francisco roughly three months after Joe Mazzulla took over as head coach for their first meeting with the Warriors since the 2022 NBA Finals. Inside their locker room, players joked as the room grew loud. Only Jaylen Brown walked through as teammates debated their alma maters.
After Boston’s 21-5 start, nobody wanted to admit this game meant something more. especially after Golden State drubbed the Celtics 123-107, in a similar fashion to how the Finals played out that summer. Jayson Tatum faded away from the ball, scoring 18 points in 40 minutes with two assists, Jaylen Brown scored 31 points to keep it close and Draymond Green helped aggressively to take the rim away.