NBA: Celtics top Warriors behind Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) blows a kiss to fans after hitting a 3-pointer against the Golden State Warriors during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
BOSTON — Jaylen Brown scored 23 of his 32 points in the first half and the Boston Celtics rolled to a 120-99 win over the Golden State Warriors in the NBA on Wednesday night.
Jayson Tatum added 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who have won three straight.
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It was Tatum’s fifth time scoring at least 20 points in the six games he’s played since making his season debut following Achilles tendon surgery. It also marked his third double-double.
Golden State cut a 21-point third-quarter deficit to 11 early in the fourth, but Boston responded with a 17-6 run to push the lead back to 22 with just more than five minutes to play.
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) drives to the basket against the Golden State Warriors during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Gary Payton II and Pat Spencer both had 14 points to lead the Warriors, who have lost six of seven. They are 6-13 since star guard Stephen Curry was sidelined with a right knee injury. Draymond Green and Gui Santos scored 13 apiece.
Kristaps Porzingis, who played for the first time in TD Garden since winning a championship with Boston to cap the 2023-24 season, finished with 11 points and five rebounds.
Porzingis was traded by Atlanta to the Warriors last month and made his Golden State debut against the Celtics in San Francisco on Feb. 19. But this was his first game in Boston since the Celtics dealt him to the Hawks in July 2025.
A fan favorite during his two seasons with the Celtics, Porzingis received a standing ovation when a tribute video to him was played on the jumbotron between the first and second quarters. Several of his Warriors teammates joined in on the applause as Porzingis reciprocated.
Porzingis opened the game by blocking Tatum’s layup attempt and Neemias Queta’s putback on the Celtics’ first possession. He then scored the game’s first points, connecting on a 3-pointer.
That didn’t stop Boston from taking a 63-50 lead into halftime on the strength of a combined 39 points from Brown and Tatum.
