Boston becomes first team to post three 50+ wins in single season with third-biggest vs. Golden State

Co-stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown put on a show this Sunday as they led the Celtics to their third-largest win in franchise history against the Warriors. While the guard dropped 29 points, the forward, who turned 26 years of age this day, contributed with 27 as they demolished their rivals with a 140-88 victory. 

Boston made history in many ways last night, as they also set a league record by becoming the first club to ever post three wins over a 50+ point margin in a single campaign. With this triumph, the Massachusetts squad extended their  season-best winning streak to 11 matches.

“It feels great, but, at the same time, it’s always within humility,” Brown shared postgame. “We don’t take the game for granted. We didn’t come and mess around and that’s just how we show our respect to the game; we handle business and take care of it. … It’s a lot of respect for the Golden State Warriors, but we feel like it’s our time now.”

The Celtics defeat the Warriors by 52 ☘️

They become the first team in NBA history to win 3 games by 50+ in a season. pic.twitter.com/hLzJFvbkw7

— ESPN (@espn) March 3, 2024

The Celtics only bigger victories were on December 8, 2018, when they beat the Bulls 133 to 77, and four years later in 2022 as they defeated the Kings by a 53-point difference.

“We told Jaylen, ‘If they’re going to keep doing that, you should shoot 20, 30 3s,’” expressed Payton Pritchard, who contributed with 19 points during the clash.

Brown started the game on fire, as he connected three-straight shots beyond the arc in a 40-second span during the first quarter. The Warriors initial strategy was to leave the 27-year-old alone without any defensive pressure, and he certainly took advantage of it.

“First time it’s ever happened to me,” Brown said of Golden State’s defense. “Honestly, I was a bit surprised. It took a little bit of adjusting and I think we just took advantage of whatever that attempt was and made the best of it.

“If you wanna dare me to shoot, we can do that, too,” he added about their initial struggles, despite scoring 19 in the opening quarter. “I thought it was a little disrespectful, but we took advantage of it and we didn’t look back.”

Stephen Curry didn’t play the entire second half and ended the match with a season-low four points for Golden State

As they suffered this blowout loss at halftime, news got worse for the Warriors as Stephen Curry wasn’t returning to the match due to a foot injury. The superstar, who couldn’t help but praise Boston’s incredible game, ended the contest with a season-low four points, his fewest in two years.

“The way that they’ve been playing, they seem very sure of themselves in their identity and who they are,” the veteran claimed. “Give them credit. They came out and whooped us tonight from the jump, and it was one of those perfect storms of a rough (day) on our end and them taking it to us.”

Golden State suffered their fourth-worst defeat in franchise history, which came at a strange time, especially considering how they’d won 11 of their last 13 matches. “We lost,” Draymond Green said. “Just flush it and move on.”

“Boston was amazing. We weren’t beating them today,” assured Bay Area coach Steve Kerr said. “This was not a day off for Steph, though he probably could have used one. He’s played so well and for so long this year, hopefully the next few days he’ll get it recharged.”