Will marquee Warriors-Celtics matchup be decided at 3-point line?

Will marquee Warriors-Celtics matchup be decided at 3-point line? originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOSTON – A test of depth will take place Wednesday night at TD Garden when the Warriors and Boston Celtics face off for what should be a battle between two of the NBA’s best teams thus far.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr’s 12-man rotation has risen to the challenge, though Golden State will continue to be without guard De’Anthony Melton, who will miss his fifth straight game to a lower back strain. Melton participated in 3-on-3 drills during Warriors shootaround and appeared to be without discomfort throughout the session, as well as running full-court sprints after.

The Celtics won’t have reigning NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, who is missing his third game in a row to a left hip flexor strain, and Kristaps Porzingis, who continues recovering from offseason surgery to his left leg.

While the Warriors again will rely on having the best scoring bench in the NBA, and the Celtics will need reserves to keep stepping up, it’s clear the difference in this highly-anticipated matchup can be the 3-point line.

“Make them those tough ones,” Draymond Green said Wednesday morning at Warriors shootaround. “You don’t want to give up the swing-swing threes where guys are wide open. Make them take tough threes and live with the result.”

Just like last season, the Celtics have been far and away the league’s highest-volume shooting team from long range. They averaged 42.5 3-point attempts and 16.5 makes last season, both of which led the NBA. And both numbers have seen an extreme uptick through eight games, while again topping all of basketball. The Celtics are averaging 19 made threes per game on 50.9 attempts.

Conversely, the Warriors are tied for second in threes made per game (16.4), and are fourth in averaging 42 attempts.

But as their defense has improved exponentially, nobody has been better at guarding the arc than the Warriors. Opponents are making only 10.3 threes against the Warriors in their first seven games, and they’re shooting 28.3 percent, both of which are league lows. Green believes that’s…

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Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-11-06 19:20:00

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