A bad night got worse for Golden State when Curry dove to the ground in a fight over a loose fly ball with Boston’s Al Horford that rolled over Curry’s foot with four minutes left.
Despite writhing in pain on the ground, the Warriors talisman continued to play before leaving the field two minutes later.
“We need him if we’re going to win this thing,” said fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson of Curry. “I know Steph is going to do everything he can to play. I really hope he is okay because he is our identity, and without him it will be very difficult.”
Curry proved to be the only Warriors player able to challenge the Celtics’ powerful defense that displayed superiority late on, holding Golden State to 11 points in the fourth quarter.
He was the leading scorer on Wednesday with 31 points and Golden State is desperately hoping he recovers in time for Game 4.
“Obviously I’m in a bit of pain, but I’ll be fine,” Curry told reporters after the game. “See how I feel tomorrow and get ready for Friday.
“I don’t feel like I’m missing a game. I’ll use the next 48 hours to prepare myself.”
Boston took an early lead, helped by two three-pointers from Jaylen Brown — who led the Celtics with 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists — in the first quarter. Boston’s advantage widened to 15 points and the Celtics took a 33-22 second quarter lead.
The Warriors shot just 8 of 23 in the first half as their scrambled defense conceded several fouls, including three called on Curry in the first half.
But, as was so often the case this season, Golden State regrouped in the third quarter and went on a 14-3 run, enough to erase the Celtics’ lead.
In Game 2, a flurry of third-quarter goals was enough to secure the Dubs victory, but this time the Celtics found a way to fight back.
“I felt like our team really held its own in those moments,” Horford told reporters after the game. “As you know, earlier in the year it could have gone downhill quickly.
“But we stuck with it and just locked ourselves in and didn’t panic and just kept playing.”
Boston pushed back with an 11-6 run, regained the lead before fourth and never trailed again.
Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart and Brown all contributed more than 20 points, five rebounds and five assists and became the first trio of teammates to accomplish this in an NBA Finals game since the Los Angeles Lakers trio made up of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Cooper in 1984 – a streak that coincidentally ended with the Celtics winning in seven games.
Will this NBA final be an echo of this 1984 result? Game 4, scheduled for Friday, will provide answers.
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