The Warriors team that had defeated the Celtics in December was overwhelmed as the team won 11 straight games, marking one of the team’s greatest victories ever.

Jaylen Brown scored 19 in the first quarter on 6-of-12 shooting, including three consecutive three-pointers after Golden State tied the game at 21. Boston’s opening five points came from Brown, including a turnaround floater that showed Steph Curry the too-small sign.

“We were really grateful,” Joe Mazzulla said. “I kept saying thank you.”

Curry seemed questionable with right knee bursitis and scored four points. While Kristaps Porzingis was sidelined with a left quad contusion, Al Horford started for a Boston team that had lost minutes (-0.1 per 100 possessions). Early in the quarter, Brown had five possessions and missed three 3-pointers out of seven. Draymond Green stepped in the paint and challenged Brown to shoot on his last.

The Warriors developed the strategy 15 minutes before the game, according to Green. Brown took six of Boston’s first 10 shots, which the players said they did to exploit the alignment. Brown scored three straight to increase the advantage to nine after Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody got back lanes to the basket and Curry knotted the game at 21. Jayson Tatum didn’t score until late in the first with the second unit, which had reached double-digits thanks to Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet.

“I don’t necessarily think we put together a full defensive strategy,” said Green.

Green blamed Brown’s made shots for the loss, but Curry said it also affected the team’s offense. Golden State shot 17.1% from three and only made a technical foul shot in the final 6:05 of the first. Boston outperformed the Warriors in ignoring Lester Quiñones and Trayce Jackson-Davis, putting pressure on Chris Paul, who scored two points and two assists.

“The defensive game plan was a joint decision by the coaching staff and team leaders to try something new. They’re playing well, so you try to find a weakness to throw them off, Curry told CLNS Media. Obviously, it failed… no regrets on how we approached it and a good learning lesson for us to take the hit we took tonight but not let it linger into another game because we’ve been playing well.”

The Celtics doubled down on Xavier Tillman and Horford in the second quarter after Friday’s triumph against the Mavericks. Tatum found his shot. After Hauser and Pritchard scored five points to extend Boston’s lead to 25, Tatum got on the board and nailed two free throws to make it 32-3 between quarters.

Jrue Holiday scored on the second try after reclaiming the loose ball on another feed to Brown at the rim after Tatum and Brown connected on a downhill feed, finding the basket with Green off the floor. Brown defensively pressured Curry at half court and forced a back court viσlatiσn. Tatum pulled up three. The Celtics led 71-32 with 3:08 left in the half.

Before playing the starting for five minutes to start the second half, Mazzulla considered the 13-2 run to start the third the most important. Another stride for a squad that’s won 11 straight and never seems happy, 8.5 games ahead in the east.

“When your creative idea fails and you take the ball out of the basket and they hit 10 threes in the first quarter. We used to do that to teams, Curry said. It can be discouraging. You may feel the need to play home run basketball to catch up, which can lead to momentum shifts in their favor. Every play goes their way, and you’re down 40. One of those nights.”