What we learned as Steph led the Warriors' statement win over the Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX score

In their first encounter with the NBA-certified elite this season, the Warriors got an idea of ​​how close they are to joining this exclusive club.

Not only good enough to compete with the defending champion Boston Celtics, but also tough enough to finish them off.

Despite leading by 14 points early in the second half, the Warriors fended off Boston's attack in the final 23 minutes and cruised to a deeply satisfying 118-112 victory at TD Garden on Wednesday night.

Five Warriors scored in double figures, led by Stephen Curry with 27 points. Andrew Wiggins and Buddy Hield each had 16, Kyle Anderson had 11 and Jonathan Kuminga had 10, helping the Warriors to 7-1 and 5-0 on the road this season.

After falling behind early, the Warriors took the lead in the second quarter and stayed on top behind ferocious defense and strong bench play until the Celtics stormed back in the fourth quarter, briefly taking the lead before Golden State recovered and closed it out.

Here are three takeaways from a game against one of the best teams in the league in one of the toughest buildings in the league.

Steph just looks good

After a quiet first half with six points in 17 minutes, Curry found his rhythm in the second half and delivered a performance that kept the Warriors from completely falling apart.

Curry scored 21 points after halftime on 6 of 14 shooting from the field, including 3 of 9 from long range. He had an answer for almost every Boston run, with 11 points in the third quarter and 10 more in the fourth.

Curry's 27 points came on 8 of 17 shooting from the field, including 4 of 9 from distance and 7 of 7 from the line. Last but not least, he added nine assists, seven rebounds and four steals.

Although Curry only returned to action two days ago after missing a week with a sprained left ankle, he felt well enough to play a season-best 34 minutes and finish at plus-7 finish.

Curry also moved to 30th on the career scoring list, passing frequent Golden State critic Charles Barkley.

Bank brings early life

Any hope of a quick start to silence the crowd quickly faded as the Warriors were sleepy from the start, missing 10 of their first 11 shots and falling behind by 11 (14-3) within five minutes.

The party didn't begin until Warriors coach Steve Kerr walked to his bench and called over Gary Payton II and Buddy Hield. They woke the team up and went on a 16-5 run, with Payton and Hield scoring 12 of the 16 points. The bench delivered 14 of the 19 points in the first quarter.

The momentum continued into the second quarter, which the Warriors opened with a 14-5 run, taking a 33-29 lead and prompting the Celtics to call a full timeout.

Golden State's bench – the most productive in the NBA – was mostly behind Hield, Anderson, Kuminga and Payton, providing 28 of the team's 51 points in the first half and 49 for the game.

JT's (Almost) Revenge

Kerr was subjected to loud and sustained boos during the pregame introductory ceremony, not because the Warriors won the 2022 NBA Finals on that floor, but because of his sin in the role of head coach of Team USA basketball.

With Kerr benching Celtics star Jayson Tatum for two of the six games during the Paris Olympics, there were some harsh feelings in Boston. It didn't matter that Tatum won a gold medal because Team USA had gone through the Games undefeated. What matters in Boston is that their man didn't get as much run as they thought they deserved.

Although Tatum largely downplayed the issue publicly, it's safe to assume he felt neglected.

If he wanted revenge, he got it in the third quarter. After eight points in the first half on 2 of 7 shooting from the field, including 1 of 2 from distance, he scored 17 points in the third half. He was 5 of 7 from the field and 4 of 6 from distance.

He was primarily responsible for the Warriors' inability to extend their 11-point halftime lead, as the Celtics' 41 points in the third quarter – after just 40 in the first half – pulled them to within one point in the fourth.

With a game-high 30 points, Tatum did his part to bring his team back. It wasn't enough.

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