NBA: Curry, Wiggins help Warriors hold off Celtics
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Stephen Curry during the second half against the Boston Celtics in Boston on Dec 17, 2021.
PHOTO: AFP
LOS ANGELES (REUTERS) - Stephen Curry scored 30 points, Andrew Wiggins added 27 and the Golden State Warriors survived after blowing a 20-point lead in a 111-107 win over the shorthanded Boston Celtics on Friday night (Dec 17) in Boston.
Andre Iguodala added 12 points while Draymond Green contributed a team-high eight assists for the Warriors, who have won three straight and five of their last six games.
Jayson Tatum had 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists to lead Boston, who have dropped five of their last seven. Jaylen Brown added 20 points, Marcus Smart had 19 with eight assists and Josh Richardson scored 15 for the Celtics.
Boston were without starting centre Al Horford and forwards Grant Williams, Jabari Parker, Juancho Hernangomez and Sam Hauser, who all landed in the league's Covid-19 health and safety protocols this week.
Celtics guard Dennis Schroder also missed the game with a non-Covid illness.
Boston guard Romeo Langford left the game with neck pain in the second quarter and did not return.
Warriors star Klay Thompson (right Achilles tendon repair) remained sidelined despite being recalled from G League affiliate Santa Cruz earlier in the week.
Centre James Wiseman (right knee meniscus tear) and Jordan Poole (Covid-19 protocol) also sat out.
Golden State were ahead 68-54 at half-time after leading by as many as 20 late in the second quarter.
After outscoring the Warriors 27-14 in the third quarter, Tatum's stepback three-pointer with 11min 25sec remaining gave Boston their first lead since the opening minutes at 84-82.
Golden State scored the next seven points and used a 23-11 overall run to push their lead back up to double digits at 105-95 on Curry's trey with 4:25 to play.
Boston answered with a 9-2 push to pull within 107-104 on Brown's layup with 50.9 seconds to go before Curry answered with a floater with 35 seconds on the clock.
Curry committed an offensive foul for his sixth to end his night with 10.7 seconds to go and Smart hit a three-pointer with 4.2 on the clock to make it a two-point game.
Damion Lee's two free throws with 2.8 seconds left sealed the win.
