OAKLAND, Calif. — Last season the Celtics marched into this building and stunned the basketball world by snapping the Warriors’ 54-game home winning streak. On Wednesday, the vibe was different.
The Warriors no longer seem indomitable — Kevin Durant’s absent certainly doesn’t help — and the Celtics are no longer the plucky upstarts. But this game took on a new kind of urgency for Boston, as it was coming off consecutive disappointing losses, knowing that one more would leave it in a tie with the Wizards in the Eastern Conference standings.
By the end of Boston’s 99-86 victory, the Celtics fans scattered among the crowd here were directing MVP chants at Isaiah Thomas and chanting “Let’s go, Celtics,’’ as the team grabbed yet another signature win in a building very few opposing teams leave happy.
Thomas led the Celtics with 25 points and Kelly Olynyk had 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. The Warriors made just 6 of 30 3-point attempts and attempted just nine free throws and committed 18 turnovers, although they did block 13 shots. It was Golden State’s fourth home loss of the season.
The Celtics had a quiet start, as they turned the ball over on their first three possessions and took 2 minutes, 20 seconds to even attempt a shot. The Warriors looked comfortable as they took an early 10-2 lead.
When the Celtics did not turn over the ball or have their shots swatted, they generally had success. They did well running the offense through Al Horford, who found his cutting teammates for easy baskets.
With 7:13 left in the second period, Horford hit Jaylen Brown for a layup as Brown was fouled, giving the Celtics their first lead of the night, 38-36. Forty-five seconds later, Horford whipped a pass to Olynyk inside and pumped his fist as the 7-footer scored.
But the Celtics’ offense unraveled a bit over the final 90 seconds of the first half. Marcus Smart fired a 3-pointer that thudded off the backboard, Avery Bradley hoisted one that caromed off the side of it, and then Smart missed a wide open layup, as the Warriors took a 40-36 lead to the break.
The Warriors forced nine turnovers in the first half and blocked nine shots, helping them overcome a 3-for-15 effort on 3-pointers.
In the third quarter there were several stretches where it appeared the Warriors were going to uncoil one of their patented runs, but the Celtics stayed within 6 points for the entire quarter and even took a 72-71 lead on a pair of Smart free throws with 18 seconds left. But Stephen Curry then got Brown in the air on a pump fake and hit a 3 at the buzzer, sending Golden State to the fourth with a 74-72 edge.
With 7:19 left, a Draymond Green dunk gave the Warriors a 79-78 lead, but then the Celtics pounced.
With 6:23 left, Curry lost the ball and it was scooped up by Jonas Jerebko. As the Celtics rushed upcourt the Warriors were scattered on defense, and a Jae Crowder 3 gave the Celtics an 83-79 lead. Less than a minute later, Crowder rattled in another 3 on an unsettled play.
Then Bradley coasted in for a dunk off a steal and Thomas banked in a 16-footer. After a timeout, Curry missed a 3 and then Thomas drilled one from the top of the key, capping a 15-0 run that gave the Celtics a 93-79 lead.
The Warriors trimmed the deficit to 9, and with their crowd standing and chanting, they watched Crowder miss consecutive 3-pointers only to have the Celtics chase down consecutive offensive rebounds. A jumper by Bradley capped a 1-minute-8-second possession and gave the Celtics a 95-84 lead.
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @adamhimmelsbach.
