Facing what will easily be their toughest test of the 2024-25 season NBA season so far, the Warriors of the Golden State will bring their 6-1 record to Beantown on Wednesday night to face the defending champion Boston Celtics.

Like the Warriors, the Celtics also come into this game with just one loss, winning seven of their first eight. But just like Golden State, Boston hasn’t had the busiest schedule these first two weeks.

Still, wins are wins and both teams have put in great performances so far.

The Celtics lead the league in scoring at 123.6 points per game, which no doubt has to do with the fact that they are making a league-leading 50.9 three-point attempts per game, connecting on 37, 3% of them.

But it wasn’t just the three ball that helped Boston get off to a 7-1 start. The defending champions have done an excellent job of limiting turnovers, committing just 11.8 per game, the third-fewest turnovers in the league.

As for the Warriors, they’ve also had one of the most potent offenses in the NBA thus far, averaging 121.6 on third down. And they’re certainly not opposed to the idea of ​​throwing shots from beyond the arc. They didn’t raise as many as Boston, but the Dubs still averaged the fourth-most attempted three-pointer at 42.0 per game.

Golden State also excelled defensively, holding opponents to just 104.3 points per game, the second-lowest scoring in the league. Only the Oklahoma City Thunder authorized fewer (95.9). The Celtics rank 12th in this regard with 109.6.

So, again, it will be very interesting to see how this all plays out at TD Garden on Wednesday night.

Most major sportsbooks have Boston as a five or six point favorite. But this is a game the Warriors can win. And here’s a look at some reasons why.

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It’s a big deal.

It was confirmed Tuesday that reigning Finals MVP Jaylen Brown will miss his third straight game due to a hip flexor injury that has plagued him since training camp.

Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla says he doesn’t think it will be a long-term problem, but it very well could be one against the Warriors.

Yes, the Celtics have done just fine without him the last two games. But with all due respect, these victories took place against the Charlotte Frelons and the Atlanta Falcons. And yes, Boston has plenty of other weapons that can do damage, which is why they still averaged 118 points in those two games without him.

But there will be a lot of pressure on Jayson Tatum and Derrick White to put up big numbers Wednesday night. And given Golden State’s defensive prowess, it’s not going to be easy.

Overall, the Warriors are the deepest team here. And that would still be the case even if Brown were healthy. But with the three-time All-Star out, Steve Kerr’s team must take advantage.

It’s no secret that a lot of Boston’s scoring comes from the starting five. As mentioned, the Celtics lead the league with 123.1 points per game. But on average, only 31.3 of those points come from the bench. And about half of them come from Payton Pritchard, who averages 16 points per outing.

The Warriors, meanwhile, bring a much more balanced attack. Of their 121.6 points per game, about 61 come from the reserves. Buddy Hield, of course, has led the charge and leads Golden State with 21.9 points per game.

But it’s not like Hield is the only threat off the bench. Since taking a reserve role, Jonathan Kuminga has thrived, averaging 17.8 points on 50.0% shooting. Moses Moody can score. Brandin Podziemski can contribute in several ways. Even Lindy Waters III has proven to be a threat at times.

Simply put, if Golden State’s starters can keep pace with Boston’s, the Warriors’ bench can win them this game.

You didn’t think we’d go all this time without mentioning Steph Curry, did you?

Naturally, there was concern that the two-time NBA MVP wouldn’t be ready for this prime-time matchup due to an ankle injury that forced him to miss three games last week. Luckily for the Dubs, it turned out not to be too serious a problem, and he looked fantastic on his return Monday against Wizards of Washingtonscoring 24 points and adding six assists and three rebounds.

And that was in just 24 minutes, because Kerr had him on a hard minutes restriction, which shouldn’t be the case against the Celtics.

Given the numbers mentioned above, there will obviously be a lot of three-point attempts in this game. And that’s a battle the Warriors may have to win to win this game. Naturally, Curry’s return to action will help them achieve that.

While Boston is making more triples, Golden State is more accurate from beyond the arc, making 39.1 percent of its attempts. The Celtics aren’t far behind at 37.3%, but a few percentage points could make a difference here. If Curry and the Warriors can win in this aspect, they will hand the Celtics their second defeat.