By JIMMY GOLEN and KYLE HIGHTOWER AP Sports Writer

BOSTON — Even as he lay on the court, with 240-pound Celtics center Al Horford on top of his recently recovered left ankle, Steph Curry knew what was wrong.

And as soon as he stood up and took a few steps, he knew he would be OK.

“I’m going to play. That’s all I know right now,” the Warriors star said on Thursday, a day before Golden State will face Boston in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

“I know exactly what it is,” said Curry, who hurt the same ankle on a similar play in a late-season game against Boston. “I guess (there’s) comfort knowing I’ve been through it before, but also you would rather not have to deal with something like that at this point in the season.”

Curry wound up at the bottom of a pile Wednesday night as players from both teams dove for a loose ball late in the fourth quarter. Teammate Draymond Green said he heard Curry scream in pain, but the Warriors star remained in the game until Coach Steve Kerr sent in the bench trailing by 14 with two minutes left.

The Celtics held on to win, 116-100, and take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Golden State needs a win on Friday night to avoid falling behind 3-1 before the series shifts back to San Francisco.

A key to them avoiding the brink of elimination: Curry not just remaining healthy, but playing like a two-time league MVP. The Warriors guard scored 31 points in Game 3, but just two of them came in the fourth quarter as the league-leading Celtics defense chased him around the court.

Golden State held a film session Thursday, but the team’s regulars did not practice. Curry appeared to walk without a limp when he entered the media room to talk to reporters, and he took the steps to the podium three at a time. He had no bandage or brace on his leg.

Curry said he got plenty of sleep – 10½ hours – and spent some time with his foot in an ice bucket. But he said he did not need an MRI because the injury was the same as the one he sustained when Celtics guard Marcus Smart landed on his foot in a March 16 game in San Francisco.

“This one just wasn’t as bad as that one,” said Curry, who missed the last 12 games of the regular season. “As soon as you started to take a couple of steps, you kind of know whether you can run normal, cut normal or not. Back then, I couldn’t. Yesterday, I could. That gave me a little bit of confidence knowing it wasn’t as bad.”

Asked Thursday if he would be sitting out if it were a regular-season game, Curry said he couldn’t say for sure.

But for Game 4 of the NBA Finals, there’s no question.

“I know I’m going to play,” he said.

BROWN OVERLOOKED NO MORE

There was a time when the narrative surrounding Jaylen Brown was that he was a redundant player on a Celtics team shaping its identity around budding superstar Jayson Tatum.

Though he was a recent All-Star on a team packed with young, homegrown talent, Brown was considered by outsiders to be a potential trade chip Boston could use to adjust a roster that didn’t get past the conference finals during his first five seasons.

Cries to jettison the third overall pick of the 2016 draft only grew louder after a tepid 18-21 start to this season under new coach Ime Udoka that had veteran Smart calling out the Celtics’ young stars.

Six months and a run to the NBA Finals later, Mr. Expendable is suddenly Mr. Indispensable as the Celtics pursue their 18th championship.

“It’s hard for me to reflect on moments when I’m in the heart of the storm,” Brown said. “But everything, all the adversity, all the ups and downs and negative things, indirectly and directly, has helped build me to where I’m at.”

Brown is averaging a team-best 22.7 points and 7.3 rebounds through the first three games of the Finals. He delivered probably his best performance of the playoffs – 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists – in their Game 3 win.

His 17-point first quarter set the tone for Boston’s attack, but Udoka said Brown’s game has evolved on both ends.

“The versatility he gives us on the defensive end, is what it is. I think that goes trickle-down with Marcus and our bigs as well as our big wings,” Udoka said. “We’re asking (for) more communication, more recognition, and he is one of the guys that’s improved throughout the season as far as that.”

While Brown has been locked in during the playoffs, Tatum said he and Brown knew there were questions about whether they could coexist after the team’s slow start. He said they’ve figured out how to meld their their skillsets and personalities.

“I think all of those things helped, from saying that we need to split the group up, get rid of somebody or me and JB can’t play together,” Tatum said after Boston beat Miami to win the Eastern Conference title. “That fueled us to figure it out and not run from it. … That we trust in each other and we had to be better.”

Under the tutelage of Udoka and his staff, both players have learned to play off their teammates more.

Tatum has steered away from his past tendencies of relying on isolation and jump shots. Instead, he’s using the double-teams he draws to shuffle the ball to Brown and others to share the scoring load.

Brown, too, has morphed his game. Against Golden State in particular, he’s been slashing inside, finding mismatches and picking his spots against the Warriors’ small lineups.

Smart said the aggression of Brown and Tatum has become contagious.

“They’re very adamant about what they want, what they’re going to do with the ball, with making decisions and making reads,” Smart said. “They’ve grown and matured in that aspect. They knew in order for us to reach our full potential that they were going to have to take that step. They took the challenge, and they’re showing it and it’s proven right now.”

Brown has also been a steadying voice, reminding his teammates to block out distractions such as Green’s attempts to rattle the Celtics with his physical play.

On Jan. 31, at the start of Boston’s late-season turnaround, Brown tweeted, “The energy is about to shift.” Given his recent performance, his words are looking less cryptic and more prophetic.

And Brown has shown more appreciation for his journey to Finals stardom.

“I feel like I haven’t always been put in the best position to be the best version of myself, and that’s aided me into getting better and to working harder,” Brown said. “Everything that I’ve learned and acquired here directly or indirectly has helped me, and I think it’s going to help me going forward. If I would have to reflect, I’m just grateful for each and every experience that you go through because it just makes you who you are.”

MORE INJURIES

The Celtics listed center Robert Williams III as questionable on Thursday with the left knee injury that required late-season surgery and kept him out for seven of the team’s first 14 playoff games.

Udoka said Tatum is dealing with a right shoulder stinger.

“That’s going to flare up whenever he gets hit the wrong way,” Udoka said. “(He) had to shoot some free throws after, might be a little numb there. He is shooting threes right after, so I’m not sure it hampers his ability to finish at all.”

THREE GOOD QUARTERS

Golden State has outscored Boston in the third quarter of all three games so far, so a reporter asked Kerr why they can’t start the game the same way.

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“I ask myself that question very often,” he said, “and I don’t have an answer.”

The Warriors have outscored the Celtics by a combined score of 106-63 in the Finals. Golden State had a 33-25 edge on Wednesday night, eliminating a 12-point halftime deficit and briefly taking the lead.

Kerr joked that he has a book of “incredibly inspiring quotes” he calls on.

“I just try to pull out the right one,” he said. “And if I get them fired up and they’re excited, then they seem to play better.”

The third quarter struggles are a recurring problem for the Celtics, who similar lapses against Miami and Milwaukee.

“It’s just one of those things where it’s a mystery,” Smart said. “We’re definitely trying to not keep that pattern going.”