Warriors at Celtics
The Golden State Warriors are the hottest team in the NBA at the moment and showed on Thursday that they don't need the 3-point shot to dominate a game. The Warriors will try to pull off their 10th consecutive victory when they continue a five-game road trip by visiting the surging Boston Celtics on Saturday.
Golden State cruised past the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday behind Klay Thompson's 10-of-11 performance from 3-point range but watched Thompson and fellow star Stephen Curry combine to go 3-of-12 from beyond the arc on Thursday and still managed to top the Washington Wizards 126-118. "We're playing better," Curry told reporters. "We've talked about it a lot basically since Christmas - the things that we need to work on, and the details that we need to focus on to start building momentum. We've done that. I think we can continue to get better, but I like the direction we’re headed." The Celtics are nearly as hot with wins in five straight and pushed their home winning streak to 10 in a row with a 123-103 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. "Obviously, we still aren't where we want to be when the spring rolls around, but that's why you want to always get better as a team," Boston coach Brad Stevens told reporters. "I think we are improved from the start of the year. We've got a great test on Saturday and we'll learn more about us."
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (34-14): One of the reasons Golden State was able to roll up 126 points and 34 assists while making just seven 3-pointers on Thursday was because center DeMarcus Cousins is getting more comfortable in the offense. Cousins went 8-of-12 from the floor en route to a season-high 17 points in the win and gives the team a low-post option when the 3-point shot isn't falling. "It's the best stretch that we've had all season, in a while really," Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters of the team's recent run. "I'm not sure if we had a stretch like this last season, either. Our guys are playing hard and competing well together. DeMarcus is fitting right in."
ABOUT THE CELTICS (30-18): Boston All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving sat out Wednesday with an illness and Terry Rozier got the nod to start in his spot. Rozier responded by going 8-of-8 from the floor in the first half and scoring 22 of his 26 points before the break to set the tone as the Celtics coasted to a 20-point win. "He was good," Stevens told reporters of Rozier. "I thought first half he kept us in the game. In the first quarter, obviously, I don't know what he scored in the first quarter, but it felt like half our points basically. I thought when everyone else was struggling to get it going, he really played well. He's good on both ends."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Warriors PF Draymond Green grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds on Wednesday.
2. Irving and Celtics C Al Horford (rest) were out on Wednesday but are expected back on Saturday.
3. The teams split the two-game series in each of the last three seasons, with Boston protecting homecourt in Golden State's last visit.