Warriors clinch fourth title in eight seasons with Game 6 win over Celtics in NBA Finals

Jordan Greer

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Nick Metallinos

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Warriors clinch fourth title in eight seasons with Game 6 win over Celtics in NBA Finals image

Could the Celtics stave off elimination one more time? That was the biggest question heading into Thursday night's Game 6.

In the end, the Warriors won their third consecutive game of the Finals to clinch the 2021-22 NBA championship, 103-90. 

The Celtics had managed to defeat the Bucks and Heat in the previous two rounds despite facing elimination, but could not repeat the feat for the third time. 

The Warriors were led by Stephen Curry, who won his first Finals MVP behind a 34-point, seven-rebound and seven-assist performance. 

The Warriors were a lottery team two seasons ago after being ravaged by injury, then lost in the Play-In stage last season, and now are back on top of the mountain having won their fourth title in the past eight seasons. 

"This one hits different for sure," Curry said shortly after receiving the Bill Russell trophy for being named Finals MVP. 

Draymond Green, who finished with a near-triple-double of 12 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, echoed similar thoughts, saying to ESPN's Lisa Salters that this title means a lot. 

"To come here and get a win, it's awesome. I appreciate this [Celtics] fanbase," he said. 

The Sporting News tracked live score updates and highlights from Warriors vs. Celtics on Thursday.

MORE: When was the last time the Celtics won the championship?

Warriors vs. Celtics score

Game 6 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
Warriors 27 27 22 27 103
Celtics 22 17 27 24 90

Warriors vs. Celtics live updates, highlights from Game 6 of NBA Finals

(All times Eastern)

11:29 p.m. -- THE GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS ARE THE 2021-22 NBA CHAMPIONS! 

11:25 p.m. -- An Andrew Wiggins triple from the corner off a Steph Curry assist pretty much seals this one. The Warriors lead 101-89 with 1:01 left in the final quarter. Wiggins has been huge with 18 points and six rebounds so far. 

11:16 p.m. -- The Warriors had missed 11 consecutive 3s prior to this Andrew Wiggins make. Lead is back up to 13. Warriors up 91-78. 

11:15 p.m. -- The Celtics have 20 turnovers and yet are down just 11 points with 5:37 left in the game. When they've been engaged on the defensive end it's turned into points for them on the offensive end.

11:08 p.m. -- Jayson Tatum gets his first bucket of the second half on a dime from Robert Williams III Celtics still trail 84-72 with 6:47 left in the game. 

11:05 p.m. -- Jayson Tatum needs to get it going in the final quarter. He is scoreless in the second half after having 11 points in the first half. 

End of the third quarter: Warriors 76, Celtics 66

10:57 p.m. -- Poor shooting could take a toll on the Warriors. Klay Thompson was 5-of-17 shooting, Andrew Wiggins 6-of-16. The Celtics have life, down only 10 with 12 minutes left. Was 22.

10:55 p.m. -- Al Horford has 11 points and five rebounds in the third quarter alone and all of a sudden the momentum is with the Celtics heading into the fourth quarter. They've got the deficit down to single digits: 74-65. 

10:49 p.m. -- And just like that, the Celtics, once down by 22, are back to within 12 with 2:06 left in the third quarter. Timeout Golden State. 

10:47 p.m. -- The Celtics might have another run left in them, but will they have the energy to keep it going through the final quarter? They just can't get the deficit lower than 17 at the moment. 

10:35 p.m. -- Wardell Stephen Curry just casually pulling up from 30 feet and the Warriors' lead is up to 22 with 6:22 left in the third quarter. The TD Garden crowd is stunned.

10:33 p.m. -- Al Horford is on fire, but his threes are only cutting it to 13 and 16, because the Warriors aren't missing either. 

10:27 p.m. -- Draymond Green opens up the scoring in the third with another corner 3-pointer and he even turns back to the Celtics bench and lets them know about it. 

End of the second quarter: Warriors 54, Celtics 39

10:08 p.m. -- The Warriors trailed this game 12-2 early in the first quarter but have since gone on a 52-27 run to take a commanding 15-point lead at the halftime break. 

10:07 p.m. -- Game 6 Klay. 

10:03 p.m. -- Steph Curry is dancing and prancing and the Warriors' lead has ballooned to 18. The largest of the first half so far. 

10:00 p.m. -- Now another problem for the Celtics to contend with. Jayson Tatum just got called for his third personal foul on a drive to the basket. Ime Udoka has no choice but to sit him. 

9:59 p.m. -- The Celtics are up to 10 turnovers for the game and there's still 4:45 left to play in the first half. 

9:54 p.m. -- 7-0 run in the last 2:11 for the Celtics as they claw their way back. Timeout Golden State. The Warriors lead 39-29.

9:51 p.m. -- Just as the Celtics brought the deficit back to ten points, Marcus Smart has to exit the game with his third foul with just under nine minutes left in the second quarter. The Warriors lead 37-27. 

9:48 p.m. -- The Warriors' 21-0 is the longest scoring run in a Finals game over the last 50 years. The previous high was 20-0 set by (who else?) the Warriors (Game 2 in 2019).

9:45 p.m. -- The Celtics need another timeout. Golden State has scored 21 in a row. Jordan Poole has 11 points in six minutes off the bench, too. Warriors lead 37-22 with 10:13 left in the second quarter. 

9:41 p.m. -- Ime Udoka is forced to call a timeout 50 seconds into the second quarter as the Warriors scored five quick points. Jayson Tatum is also on two fouls now, too. 

End of the first quarter: Warriors 27, Celtics 22

9:35 p.m. -- The Warriors with a 17-point turnaround are now up 5! Golden State closes the quarter on a 25-8 run. 

9:34 p.m. -- After missing his first 12 3-point attempts of this series Draymond Green hits a corner three from a drive and kick-out from Steph Curry. The Warriors are now up by two: 24-22. 

9:28 p.m.-- One thing to keep an eye on is Celtics turnovers. They have four already in the first. Their record in the playoffs when they have 16 or more turnovers? 1-7. 

9:26 p.m. -- A lot of whistles so far in this game. Marcus Smar just got his second foul of the quarter as well. 3:44 remaining in the first. 

9:23 p.m. -- GAME 6 KLAY LOADING? Klay has a quick five points to bring the Warriors within six. They trail 16-10. 

9:22 p.m. -- Defense leads to offense for the Boston Celtics! 

9:17 p.m. -- Marcus Smart draws back-to-back fouls and now Klay Thompson has two fouls. Coach Steve Kerr elects to keep him, though. 

9:15 p.m. -- This is about as good a start as the Celtics could have hoped for, and the complete opposite for the Warriors. 

9:12 p.m. -- Boston has come out with ENERGY behind a raucous home crowd. They're on a 10-0 run and have jumped to an early 12-2 lead with 9:275 left in the 1st. Timeout Warriors. 

8:55 p.m. — And here is the Celtics' starting five:

8:45 p.m. — Here is the Warriors' starting lineup:

What channel is Warriors vs. Celtics on?

  • Date: Thursday, June 16
  • TV channel: ABC
  • Live streaming: Sling TV | Watch ESPN

Game 6 of the NBA Finals will air on ABC. Viewers can also stream Game 6 on Watch ESPN or Sling TV.

Viewers in the U.S. can stream every NBA Finals game live on SLING TV. With the SLING Orange Sports Extra package, get $10 off your first month now with access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, TNT and NBATV. NBA Finals games on ABC are simulcast on ESPN3, which is included with SLING Orange, available for $35 per month including $25 the first month for new subscribers.

MORE: Watch the NBA Finals on Sling TV

Warriors vs. Celtics start time

  • Date: Thursday, June 16
  • Time: 9 p.m. ET | 6 p.m. PT

Game 6 of the NBA Finals will tip off around 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 16. The game will be played at the TD Garden in Boston.

NBA Finals schedule 2022

Here is the full schedule for the 2022 NBA Finals.

Date Game Time (ET) / Results TV channel
June 2 Game 1 Celtics 120, Warriors 108 ABC
June 5 Game 2 Warriors 107, Celtics 88 ABC
June 8 Game 3 Celtics 116, Warriors 100 ABC
June 10 Game 4 Warriors 107, Celtics 97 ABC
June 13 Game 5 Warriors 104, Celtics 94 ABC
June 16 Game 6 9 p.m. ABC
June 19 Game 7* 8 p.m. ABC

*If necessary

Jordan Greer

Jordan Greer Photo

Jordan Greer has been with The Sporting News since 2015. He previously worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He is a graduate of Westminster College and Syracuse University.

Nick Metallinos

Nick Metallinos Photo

Nick has been working exclusively within the NBA world for over a decade. He hosted 46 episodes of Ball or Nothin' - a show screened on ESPN highlighting the social media aspects of the NBA. Nick has covered 3 NBA Finals, 5 NBA All-Star weekends, 8 NBA drafts, 5 Jordan Brand Classics plus dozens of playoff games and hundreds of regular season games. 
Nick spends his spare time trying to decide which sneakers best match his outfit.