NBA Finals 2022: Golden State Warriors a win away from Championship after Game 5 win
Despite a quiet Stephen Curry game, the Golden State Warriors won Game 5 of the NBA Finals 2022 104-94, thanks to a balanced attack led by Andrew Wiggins, combined with stifling defence.
FollowIn a crucial Game 5 of the 2022 NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors were able to pull through for a win despite an off-night from Stephen Curry. The Warriors started the game well, leading 27-16 at the end of the quarter. Andrew Wiggins would lead both teams in scoring, a sign of coming things. The Warriors kept this margin in the second quarter as they went into half-time with a 12-point lead. The Warriors were led by 16 points from Andrew Wiggins, while 13 efficient points led the Celtics from Jayson Tatum. The Third Quarter, dominated by the Warriors all series long, was dominated by the Celtics this time.
Coming out of the half, the road team went on an 18-4 run to remarkably take the lead with 6:28 left in the third quarter. From there, the two teams remained close, going back and forth. With only a few seconds left in the quarter and the ball near halfcourt, It looked like the Celtics would take a two-point lead into the fourth quarter. Jordan Poole had other ideas.
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With a one-point game heading into the fourth, the game was for the taking for either team. and the Warriors capitalized. They were led by their defence, which forced four turnovers in the quarter and contained the Celtics to 4/15 shooting from the field. The home team also executed well on offence, led by Andrew Wiggins, who scored 10 points in the fourth quarter on 5/6 shooting from the field.Â
Andrew Wiggins was the best performer for the game for the Warriors, who had 26 points, 13 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block. On the defensive end, Wiggins helped Jayson Tatum slow down in the latter stages of the game after the Celtics star started the game on fire. Tatum went 9/15 from the field in the first three quarters before going 1/5 in the fourth quarter. Twitter loved Wiggins’ Performance.
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One player who didn’t have as good of performance was Stephen Curry. The most excellent shooter of all time could not make a single three-point shot as he finished the game with 16 points on 22 field-goal attempts, including nine missed threes. Curry had made at least one three-pointer in 233 consecutive games before today and had completed five each in the last four Finals games.Â
The Celtics’ most significant issue was turnovers. The Celtics turned the ball over 18 times compared to the Warriors’ four. With a win, despite a Curry off-night, the Warriors will be confident about winning the series with a potential Game 7 at home even if they lose in Game 6.
