Boston

Celtics Unpredictable as Ever, Thump Warriors 128-95

Well, the Boston Celtics-Golden State game was a blowout... but not exactly how most expected. 

It was the Celtics, a team that came in struggling to compete let alone win games, jumped on the Warriors earlier and never let up in what was easily their best win of the season, a 128-95 blowout over the two-time defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors. 

While it is far too soon to say what kind of domino effect a win of this caliber will have on the Celtics going forward, it was the kind of game that laid out the blueprint this team needs to focus on going forward if they are to start playing with the kind of consistency a team so many predicted would be among the last teams standing. 

Here are the Stars, Studs and Duds in Boston's victory over the Golden State:

STARS

Gordon Hayward: Easily Gordon Hayward's best "big-game" performance, finishing with a team-high 30 points. He becomes just the third Celtics player to score 30 or more points off the bench three or more times in the same season.

Stephen Curry: It was a relatively lackluster night for the two-time MVP. But even on nights like that, he still puts up good numbers. Curry led the Warriors with 23 points on 8-for-16 shooting with four assists.

Kyrie Irving: It was one of Kyrie Irving's better balancing act-like performances as he finished with a double-double of 19 points and 11 assists.

☘️ CELTICS 128, WARRIORS 95

STUDS

Jayson Tatum: For most of the game, Jayson Tatum played with the kind of steady, aggressive demeanor at both ends of the floor that Boston needs to see more of going forward. He would finish with 17 points and five rebounds.

Jaylen Brown: It was a good sign that on a night when Gordon Hayward was dominant, the Celtics still got a strong game from Jaylen Brown who had 18 points off the bench on 8-for-16 shooting from the field.

Kevin Durant: The perennial All-Star didn't shoot the ball particularly well (5-for-16), but spent a good bit of time at the free throw line and tallied 18 points.

DUDS

DeMarcus Cousins: Even before he got into a brief shooving match with Jayson Tatum and Terry Rozier, Cousins was not on his game. At. All. He scored 10 points on 4-for-11 shooting while committing five personal fouls. 

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