Rise of the nice guy: Andrew Wiggins erases rare Curry dud in NBA finals

After 133 playoff games, it finally happened – the greatest shooter in NBA history endured a night without scoring a three-pointer.

Steph Curry missing shot after shot was a bad omen, all right. But for the Boston Celtics.

Curry followed his 43-point Game 4 genius-storm with a tepid 16-point effort, the presumptive NBA finals MVP an inconceivable zilch-for-nine from beyond the arc. Yet the final score in Monday’s Game 5 was – checks score, rubs eyes, checks again – a 104-94 victory for his Golden State Warriors.

It means the teams head back to Boston for Thursday’s game with the Warriors ahead 3-2 in the best-of-seven series. And it means the Celtics wasted a big opportunity, because the usually-metronomic Curry is unlikely to go haywire again any time soon. Including the regular season, it was his first NBA game without making a three-point shot since 8 November 2018.

“I think Boston did a really good job defensively, as we would expect, they’re a great defensive team. I thought they put more pressure on him early, and then Steph missed some open ones too,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters.

“Even for the best shooter in the world, games like this happen. Fortunately they don’t happen too often, and I like Steph coming off of a game like this. I like his ability to bounce back. So to be able to win the game with our defense and with our depth, it was a great team effort.”

Boston will rue their own ragged play in the fourth quarter, which began with the contest finely poised after the Celtics mounted a stunning comeback immediately after half time. But it was the all-round excellence of Andrew Wiggins that helped disrupt the visitors while ably compensating for Curry’s below-par production.

The unassuming