Top Takeaways from Jayson Tatum, Celtics vs. Steph Curry, Warriors

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Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

One of the reasons why the Celtics could be dangerous in the Eastern Conference playoffs is their recent success on the road. They’ve been going into hostile environments of late and coming away with positive results, which they’ll try to continue to do in the postseason.

Boston has won 10 of its last 12 road games, with six of those victories coming by 20 or more points. As play-by-play announcer Sean Grande pointed out on Twitter, the Celtics’ road scoring differential of 6.2 points this season ranks second in the NBA and would place second in franchise history.

The team’s success away from home has been a key to its climb up the standings. Boston is now in the top four in the East for the first time this season.

“It shows that we’re going up in the right direction and can compete with any team out there on any given night,” Smart said, per Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe. “We have the talent and we have the guys. We have the potential. We have the desire, too, the heart, and the work ethic.”

The Celtics’ defense powered them past the Warriors, who shot 37.2 percent from the field and 22.9 percent from three-point range. Boston won the rebounding battle 53-38, and it forced eight turnovers, including four by Curry before his early exit.

If the season ended today, the Celtics would now have home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs. But with the way they’ve been playing on the road, it may not even matter if they end up dropping a spot or two and having to travel to open a series.

The most important thing for Boston is getting into the postseason, which it’s in a good position to do. It has a 2.5-game lead over the Toronto Raptors, who are in seventh and would be the top team in the play-in tournament.

The Celtics may still also go up, as they’re only four games back of the first-place Miami Heat. They’ll look to keep making up ground while staying out West, as they have three more road games against the Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder before returning home next week.

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Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

The Warriors withstood injuries to Klay Thompson and Draymond Green this season and continued to have success. They’re much less likely to produce positive results when Curry isn’t on the court, as shown on Wednesday night.

When Curry got hurt with four minutes and nine seconds to go in the second quarter, Golden State trailed by only eight points. By halftime, it was down 48-32. And Boston went on to lead by as many as 24 points.

Although Thompson and Green are both talented players, the most valuable piece of the Warriors’ core is clearly Curry. The 34-year-old leads the team in scoring at 25.5 points, and everybody knows he’s one of the most exciting players in the NBA to watch.

Curry was scheduled to undergo an MRI after Wednesday’s game. If Golden State has to play without its leader—either now or potentially down the stretch—it’s clear that it likely won’t be as much of a threat, because its level of play considerably drops off when he’s absent.

But if the Warriors don’t have Curry at any point, they’ll have to try to keep pushing forward.

“Sometimes that’s just how the cookie crumbles,” Green told reporters after the game. “You’ve got to figure it out and deal with it. But boy, it’s rough.”

Especially if Golden State’s other top players are struggling. On Wednesday, Thompson shot 8-for-24 from the field, including 1-for-11 on three-pointers. Otto Porter Jr. shot 2-for-10 and 1-for-6 from long range. Green’s only two points came on a pair of free throws.

Among the bright spots was a 29-point performance by Jordan Poole. And they’ll need others to step up if Curry misses any substantial time.