Warriors Blown Out by Celtics on MLK Day

San Francisco – The Warriors endured another tough loss, playing without several key starters due to injuries. On the day the NBA honored Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, a national holiday, their sellout crowd began to leave early as the Boston Celtics built an overwhelming 40-point lead, ultimately defeating Golden State 125-85.

Despite the lopsided defeat, the team is eager to move forward and focus on their next matchup. The Warriors will face the Sacramento Kings this Wednesday in Sacramento.

Steve Kerr

Golden State and Boston split the season series 1-1, with each team earning its victory on the road. The Warriors recorded a season-low 85 points (previous low: 90, twice) and dropped to 1-11 on the season when scoring fewer than 100 points.

Tonight’s loss marked the Warriors’ largest margin of defeat at home since a 45-point loss (104-149) to the Dallas Mavericks on January 15, 1985. The 40-point defeat also ranks as the fourth-largest home loss in franchise history.

Golden State utilized its 24th unique starting lineup of the season. Additionally, tonight marked the Warriors’ 540th consecutive sellout, extending the longest streak in franchise history.

Stephen Curry

By the fourth quarter, Golden State’s head coach, Steve Kerr, turned to his third-string players, opting to sit his starters. Despite Curry’s efforts in the third period, the Warriors struggled to contain the Celtics’ hot shooting and were outmatched on the boards. Trailing 55-85, the Warriors appeared deflated, showing little energy, motivation, or fight. The period ended with Golden State down 63-97.

Curry led all Warriors scorers with 18 points but did not play in the fourth quarter.

The NBA and Warriors celebrate MLK Day

WARRIORS HEAD COACH STEVE KERR

ON PLAYING ON MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY:

“I always love playing on MLK Day, it’s a very significant day for all Americans. I think the NBA has really kind of adopted it as part of our culture, and I’m very proud of that. Yeah, very meaningful day for everyone for sure.”

ON IF PLAYING THE CELTICS REMINDS HIM OF THEIR 2022 NBA CHAMPIONSHIP:

“I flash back to it because it’s one of the highlights of this run over the last decade. That series, to win a championship in Boston, with the history of that franchise. One of the great thrills of my life for sure. We know how good they are, they dominated the playoffs last year, and coming off of a championship. They’re still one of the great teams in the league. I love playing against them because of what a challenge it is. Just the history that the Celtics franchise has, it feels special any time you play them.” 

CELTICS HEAD COACH JOE MAZZULLA

 ON THE SIGNIFICANCE OF COACHING ON MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY:

“I think from the standpoint of the NBA calendar presents opportunities to build a platform on many different days, whether that’s Martin Luther King, whether it’s Christmas, whether it’s Easter. Which I think Steve (Kerr) does a great job of throughout the voting process. When you have a team like us, who has the opportunity to be on a platform of different opportunities, you try to take advantage of that. So yeah it is good to coach on a day like this, but I think the bigger picture for me is the ability to have the platform that we have as a team to do that throughout the regular season. It’s kind of what the NBA calendar gives us, the opportunity.”

ON CHUCK COOPER AND BILL RUSSELL’S LEGACY OF BEING PART OF THE FIRST ALL-BLACK STARTING FIVE:

“Yeah. Again that goes back to the tradition that we have not only in the league, but the team as well. What I like the most is that our guys are willing to take on that platform and that responsibility. You see the work that Jaylen (Brown) does, you see what Jayson (Tatum) has done, you see what Jrue (Holiday) has done, and what our team has done. They take on the responsibility on and off the court of what it means to kind of their platform, and to be a center but also what you were talking about, just being who they are and being able to carry that. So I take a lot of pride in watching them do that, and I think it’s just as important that they get recognized for what they do off the court as they do on.”

Photo by GSW/Twitter (X)

Malaika Bobino

Malaika Bobino, an Oakland, California native, is a Bay Area sports journalism powerhouse and influencer. With nearly two decades of experience at both the Oakland Post and the Huffington Post, she is always on the front lines of the iconic Bay Area sports scene. Bobino covered the Oakland A’s postseason trips, all three of the San Francisco Giants World Series, was present for all three Golden State Warriors three NBA Championships and covered the 49ers last two Super Bowl appearances

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