BOSTON -- It went from 0-to-100 real quick for the Boston Celtics, and it wasn’t in a good way.
They experienced a colossal third-quarter meltdown that allowed Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors to depart TD Garden on Friday night with a 104-88 blowout victory.
“They can make it a landslide,” Celtics coach Brad Steven said.
Klay Thompson led all scorers with 28 points.
Boston (6-6) was one of nine teams last season to issue a loss to Golden State (10-2) so this affair was expected to be a close one. It was, but only for the first 24 minutes.
Things got out of hand fast for the Celtics. They faced a seven-point deficit at halftime, however the Warriors opened the third quarter on a spirited 24-3 run.
They forced turnovers and got out on the break. That’s where Durant was a recipient of an alley-oop, Curry pulled up and drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key on another transition trip and Thompson put in nine of his 28 points during the quarter.
Boston couldn’t get out of its own way. If the Celtics weren’t clanking shots off the rim, they were carelessly turning the ball over and not racing back on defense. And before you knew it, midway into the third, the game was out of reach. Warriors center Zaza Pachulia even knocked down an open 17-footer and proceeded to stand in place while imitating a dance that Durant pulls off from time to time.
“It was terrible. It was horrible,” Durant said of Pachulia’s dance moves. “We’ll talk about that.”
It was a party for the Warriors, and an embarrassment for the Celtics.
“Our defense was incredibly active. That was the main thing,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “We did a lot of switching and getting our hands in passing lanes, so it was a great stretch and obviously the key to the game.”
The Celtics were outscored 31-9 in that pivotal quarter and faced an enormous 29-point deficit going into the fourth. Boston coughed up the ball five times and shot 2-of-17 in that period, which cost it the contest.
Many fans took off for the exits before the final quarter started. They had seen enough.
“We couldn’t score and they did,” Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas said following an 18-point outing.
Durant didn’t have to do much, although he scored 23 points on an efficient 10-of-13 shooting. He also pulled down 10 rebounds and distributed seven assists. Every time he touched the ball, he was hit with a barrage of boos. Fans are still miffed that he chose to play for the Warriors instead of sporting the green and white.
“Fans must be desperate,” Draymond Green said after the game. “Like, who boos a guy for taking an interview. That’s crazy. Y’all booing somebody for interviewing y’all. Man, they may scare free agents away. You don’t want to take an interview and then make enemies for taking an interview. I don’t know. They may want to be careful with that.”
Green later added: “If you’re that mad at what somebody else did with [their] life, you need to evaluate your own life. He made a personal decision for his life, for his happiness, for his career. And if people that mad, they need to reevaluate where their head is at in life. Because I don’t know if I can stay that mad at somebody for deciding to do something with their life. That’s a slippery slope.”
But the boos weren’t able to get on the court and defend.
“There’s no hard feelings,” Durant said. “I still got love for Boston. I still love playing here. They got one of the best crowds in the league. That’s what they’re supposed to do.”
Stevens used 6-foot-2 defensive specialist Avery Bradley on Durant to little success. Durant just used his length and strength to force his way at the elbow and elevated for uncontested jumpers. It was an easy night for him.
Small forward Jae Crowder missed his eighth straight game with a left ankle sprain. He’d typically be the defender assigned to Durant, but Boston was left scrambling for anybody who could attempt to slow down the 6-foot-11 small forward.
The Warriors have beaten the Celtics four straight times at Boston and extended their winning streak to six. Curry’s heroics weren’t needed as he had an off night, going 7-of-20 from the field and 2-of-10 from downtown for 16 points to go with seven assists.
With this victory, a little history was made.
Steve Kerr, who coached his 176th game, became the fastest coach to accumulate 150 victories. Former NBA coach Avery Johnson reached that mark in his 191st game.
Golden State will now travel to Milwaukee for what will be the second game of a back-to-back. Kerr said it might be a game where he rests a few guys. Curry, Thompson, Green and Durant all told ESPN that they plan to play on Saturday.
Sources told ESPN that Kerr met with veteran forward Andre Iguodala and discussed potentially giving him the night off on Saturday, but Iguodala assured Kerr that he was fine and would be able to go.
Golden State and Milwaukee have yet to face each other this season. The young Bucks have lost four of their last five games.