Now, the first All-Star is on the verge of becoming an NBA champion for the first time – and helping Curry win another title. “It’s something I definitely dreamed of being in the league, and that’s the ultimate stage,” said Wiggins. “It does not get bigger than that.” Wiggins had 26 points and 13 rebounds, Clay Thompson had 21 points and the Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics 104-94 on Monday night for a 3-2 lead in the NBA Finals. “Coming this year, he was a key player in the All-Star for some reason,” said Draymond Green. “… The bigger the challenge we have put in front of him, the bigger he responded. You want such a man. “When the stage gets big, they respond and play their best basketball, and that’s what he did.” One game after scoring 43 points, Curry contributed 16 points and eight assists, but was 0 for 9 in the 3-point range. The record 132 consecutive games after the 3-point leader’s career’s season ended, along with his best streak in the NBA with 233 consecutive games with 3 regular-season and playoffs together. “Well, keep shooting, very simply,” Carrie said with a smile. “I’m not afraid to go 0-fer or anything because I’ll keep shooting.” Green knows how Carrie will respond: “He will be excited about Game 6. That’s exactly what we need.” Completing his excellent performance at both ends, Wiggins drove through the lane for an emphatic one-handed slam with 2:10 remaining. “The bottom line is that he’s just having fun playing basketball,” Curry said. The Warriors could win their fourth title in eight years when the series continues in Boston on Thursday night. If the Celtics manage to win at home, the series will return to the Bay Area for a 7th Game with a winner on Sunday. All five games so far have been judged with 10 or more points. Jason Tatum had 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who lost consecutive games for the first time in the post-season. Marcus Smart whistled for a technical foul and then for an offensive foul within a second early in the fourth. He overcame the slow start to score 20 points. Jordan Poole shot down a 33-foot 3 from the left wing to beat the buzzer of the third quarter as the Warriors led 75-74 in the final 12 minutes after the Celtics roared back into the third. The Celtics found their own magic in the third quarter that has long determined the success of Golden State in the second half. Boston lost 51-39 at halftime, before counterattacking with an outbreak of 35 points in the third. Al Horford scored a three-pointer with 6:28 for the end of the season that made it 58-55, as the Celtics finally found their shot from deep. Boston made eight runs and made 3 after losing the initial 12. “We certainly were not as perceptive as we needed to be at times there. “Just tough,” Horford said. “Surely now, our backs are to the wall and we have to see what we are made of.” Jalen Brown was 2 to 11 to start the game and finished with 18 points in 5-of-18 shots and lost all five of his 3 points. Tatum gave her first three-pointer in Boston the night 4:34 before halftime and the Celtics scored 11 of 32 in the overall standings. The Celtics were sloppy in areas, making 18 caps. “When we are at our best, it is a simple movement of the ball. I think the third ten minutes showed that. The movement and the kick were beautiful, it worked, the children received open shots “, said the coach Ime Udoka. Golden State scored 9 of 40 over the arc – Wiggins 0 of 6. Carrie has not scored a three-pointer for the first time since making it 0-4 in a 134-111 loss to the Bucks on November 18, 2018. “One night he did not have, we found aggression elsewhere,” said Green, who had eight points, eight rebounds and seven assists before committing a 3:01 foul. THE DAY OF CRY Thompson shot 7 of 14 with five three-pointers in another brilliant moment in the playoffs. Monday marks exactly three years since Thompson tore the ACL in his left knee and underwent surgery before later tearing his right Achilles tendon while working behind his first injury – forcing him to lose more than 2 1/2 years . Thompson was injured in the crucial 6 match of the 2019 NBA Finals, as Toronto won the first franchise championship playing at the previous Warriors Stadium at the Oracle Arena. Entering Game 5, Thompson’s 35.8% shot was the lowest of any NBA Finals he has played and he has just 34.2% from deep – from 58.5% to 3 in the 2019 finals. FOURTH CENTURY SIGN On a journey down the memory lane, Steve Kerr coached the Warriors on the 25th anniversary of his victory in Game 6 of the NBA Finals as the Bulls beat the Jazz to win their fifth Chicago Championship. He thought of that special moment before the game. “It simply came to our notice then. Something that every young basketball player dreams of. “So being able to live was amazing,” Kerr said, smiling. “And after the fact that it is 25 years ago it makes me feel old, of course.” TIPS Celtics: Robert Williams III had 10 points and eight rebounds, starting and playing without limits for the Celtics, after aggravating his surgically repaired left knee in game 4.. Warriors: Gary Payton II had 15 points off the bench and Poole 14. The Warriors lost their first four attempts of 3 points before Thompson tied at 5:14 in the first. … Otto Porter Jr. started for the second consecutive game with Kevon Looney coming off the bench. SILVER SIDE NBA commissioner Adam Silver lost the match, entering the league’s health and safety protocols. The NBA did not provide further details, such as whether Silver tested positive for COVID-19 or was in close contact with someone he had.
