NBA Finals: Warriors bounce back to blow out Celtics
San Francisco, California - The Golden State Warriors evened up the NBA Finals on Sunday with a dominant 107-88 win over the Boston Celtics.
Steph Curry was at his devastating best, finishing up with 29 points on nine-of-21 shooting, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
Putting Curry in high pick-and-roll actions with Draymond Green forced the Celtics into tricky defensive situations, which for once they didn't handle all that well.
The Warriors were able to get the shots they wanted as a result of Curry's presence, as well as the lingering injury troubles of Robert Williams III affecting Boston's rim protection.
Gary Payton returned after his gruesome injury sustained against the Memphis Grizzlies and did not miss a beat in the Finals atmosphere, pitching in with seven points, three assists, and three rebounds while providing a critical defensive presence.
They scored 40 points in the paint over the game in comparison to the Celtics' 24, while shooting 40.5% from the perimeter.
This came despite Curry and Klay Thompson shooting a combined six-of-20 from beyond the arc.
Jordan Pool sinks incredible buzzer-beater
After their offensive explosion in the fourth quarter to take the opening game, the Celtics shot 37.5% from the floor, while 18 turnovers were critical.
The Dubs scored 33 points off those Celtics turnovers, blowing the game out with a 35-14 third quarter, capped off with Jordan Poole's incredible buzzer-beating three-pointer from half court.
Marcus Smart was ineffective on both ends of the floor, failing to restrict Curry in pick-and-roll situations while going one-of-six from the floor and committing five turnovers.
The teams head to Boston for Game 3 on Wednesday.
Cover photo: USA TODAY Sports