Despite the gulf that separates the two ball clubs in terms of their standing in their respective conferences, the Golden State Warriors continue to have the Boston Celtics’ number, the Dubs forcing overtime after falling into a 17-point hole to win it 132-126.

Strong early play from the Celtics in the first three quarters saw Boston take their foot off the gas in the fourth at the same time Stephen Curry got hot for Golden State. On a night only Derrick White (30 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks) was connecting from deep (7-of-18) among the starters, only Jaylen Brown (28 points, 8 boards, 7 assists) was effective from the floor (10-of-22) overall.

Reserve forward Sam Hauser went 0-of-7 from deep in one of the worst outings of his career and the bench as a whole chipped in just 27 points, with a Neemias Queta double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) making up much of that tally.

Celtics Lab 232: Celebrating Boston's sizzling start with Max Lederman – and a Festivus for the rest of us https://t.co/l7tKrMjpx4 pic.twitter.com/JwepnpGROn

— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 19, 2023

The loss drops Boston to 20-6 and a half-game lead over the Milwaukee Bucks, with the Minnesota Timberwolves now owning the best record in the league at 20-5.

Celtics-Warriors takeaways: C’s can’t contain Curry in OT loss

Celtics-Warriors takeaways: C’s can’t contain Curry in OT loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Road wins haven’t come easy for the Boston Celtics this season, and that trend continued Tuesday night in San Francisco.

After a perfect five-game homestand, their West Coast trip began with a 132-126 overtime loss to the Golden State Warriors. It was their fourth consecutive road loss and it brings them to 6-6 away from TD Garden this season. They’re also now 0-3 in OT.

STEPH CURRY PUTS THE GAME TO BED IN SAN FRANCISCO! https://t.co/EARe9rdlru pic.twitter.com/QDHRTXsgUH

— NBA (@NBA) December 20, 2023

Boston erupted for 40 first-quarter points and led by as many as 17 points in the second half. Golden State never took its foot off the gas, however, and chipped away with several clutch shots down the stretch. Stephen Curry led the way with a game-high 33 points, including 20 in the fourth quarter and OT. Klay Thompson chipped in with 24 points while hitting six 3-pointers.

The deflating loss spoiled outstanding performances by Derrick White (30 points) and Jaylen Brown (28 points). Seven C’s players scored in double figures, but their inability to make shots in crunch time proved to be the difference.

The Celtics’ trip out west continues Wednesday night when they’ll take on the 16-9 Sacramento Kings. First, here are three quick takeaways from Tuesday’s game.

Steph Curry continues to haunt Celtics
Death, taxes, and Stephen Curry putting on a show vs. Boston.

The Warriors superstar actually was held in check in the first half and found himself in foul trouble. He played with five fouls throughout the fourth quarter and overtime, but it didn’t matter in the end.

Curry took over when it mattered most. He bounced back from his uncharacteristic seven-point performance on Sunday — in which he saw his record 3-point streak snapped — and finished with a game-high 33 points (11-21 FG, 6-11 3-PT) on Tuesday.

Twenty of Curry’s points came in the fourth quarter and OT. He went 4-of-5 from 3-point range in the final two periods and put the finishing touches on his masterful performance with the dagger.

The Celtics will be happy to not have to see Curry and the Warriors again until March 3.

Crunch-time collapse
It wasn’t just Curry who beat the Celtics. The Celtics beat themselves, particularly over the final five minutes of regulation and in overtime.

Boston entered the fourth quarter leading by 11 and had a seven-point lead with four minutes left in regulation. It didn’t score over the last 1:53 of the final frame.

The C’s disastrous fourth-quarter stretch was highlighted by one brutal possession in which they missed five consecutive shots, including three 3s.

This Celtics possession 😭 pic.twitter.com/6GTD9skWKx

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport)

December 20, 2023

They went 4:52 without scoring until Brown snapped the scoring drought in overtime. OT was still a struggle as the Celtics hit only two of their nine shots in the period.

The C’s had plenty of good looks throughout the game that simply wouldn’t fall. They finished 17-of-58 (29.3 percent) from beyond the arc and 41.2 percent from the floor. Their 41 missed 3s is a franchise record, per Celtics radio voice Sean Grande. Meanwhile, the Warriors shot 45.9 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3.

Boston is now 0-5 this season when shooting under 43.5 percent from the field and 2-6 when shooting less than 33.3 percent from 3-point range.

Jayson Tatum struggles through ankle injury
Tuesday night’s game started with a scare as Tatum rolled his ankle early in the first quarter and immediately left for the locker room.

C’s fans were relieved to see Tatum re-enter the game in the second quarter, but it was clear the four-time All-Star wasn’t himself after the injury. He was noticeably less aggressive following the injury and struggled offensively notching just 15 points on 5-of-17 shooting (2-9 3-PT). He still found a way to contribute in other aspects of the game (eight rebounds, seven assists, two steals) but the shot-making wasn’t there when needed.

Although Tatum played through the injury, his status will be worth monitoring ahead of the second night of a back-to-back on Wednesday.