After surveying the burnt landscape and tallying the damage on Sunday, Warriors coach Steve Kerr reached for the white flag, lifted it over his head, and waved it emphatically in surrender.

At halftime.

With his team behind the raging Celtics by 44 points at TD Garden in Boston.

“[The Celtics] were great,” Kerr told reporters following the 140-88 loss. “They were physical right from the beginning. They were switching, and they applied ball pressure. They were great. Boston is a terrific team, and they delivered an outstanding effort on both sides.”

It was so lopsided that Kerr chose to sideline Golden State’s four-ring trio — Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson — for the second half of the blowout. Overall, this was the wise decision.

The Warriors, who played the first half like a team at the end of a good road trip and eager to return home, took the flame-broiling in stride, not because they loved it, but because this game is but a blip in comparison to the 22 remaining on their schedule.

“You flush it down the toilet,” Kerr instructed. “We had an excellent road trip, 3-1. We had a million games. Boston was fantastic; we couldn’t beat them today. So we head home and prepare for Wednesday.”

Golden State will rest on Monday before returning to practice on Tuesday to prepare for Wednesday’s game against the resurgent Milwaukee Bucks at Chase Center.

The Warriors have excellent cause to relish their long ride home. Despite the fact that it was disastrous, the Eastern Conference tour was a success. Andrew Wiggins took a leave of absence while the squad traveled from the Bay Area, missing all four games. Brandin Podziemski hurt his right knee on Thursday and has missed the previous two games. Curry returned from back-to-back games in New York and Toronto with bursitis in his right knee.

Winning three out of four under those conditions is a source of pride. If Golden State can continue to win 75 percent of its games, or at least 16 of the last 22, it will have a decent chance of finishing in the top six of the Western Conference.

That will, however, necessitate peak health. Curry was initially classified as doubtful before being cleared following his pregame warmup. Thompson’s left hamstring allegedly cramped up throughout the first half. It would have been futile to play either in the second half of the game.

Thompson sat cautiously. Sitting Green seemed logical. Curry, who only played 17 minutes in the first half, was both.

“At least there wasn’t a lot of wear,” Kerr added. “However, it is different when you give a guy a day off. If he gets a day off, it is also mentally invigorating. So Steph did not have a day off, even though he could have used one. This year, he has played exceptionally effectively and for an extended period.

“But perhaps, the following several days will help him recharge. Hopefully, he’ll go out and play golf or whatever to get away from it all and return Wednesday night prepared.”

Clearly, this game meant a lot more to Boston than the Warriors. After losing to Golden State at Chase Center in December, the Celtics believed it was critical to avoid being on the wrong end of a season sweep. They have the league’s best record and the best home record. Nonetheless, 21 months after falling to Golden State in the 2022 NBA Finals, the Celtics still see the Warriors as a formidable foe.

“We feel like we’re the best team in the league,” Jaylen Brown said during a halftime interview with ABC. “Obviously, they got us to the Finals a few years back. We’re still thinking about that.”

We still see that as an indication that the Celtics’ collective psyche was longing for this feeding.

In contrast, the Warriors have moved on. They’ll take a season split against any Eastern team rather than risk injury, which could jeopardize them in important games against Western opponents.

This was one game. Their bodies were reeling, and after Boston dominated the first quarter with a 23-1 run, it’s possible that indifference crept in. The Celtics outscored the Warriors 61-17 in the final 18 minutes of the half, forcing Kerr to concede.

As he should have. One loss, no matter how severe, will not determine the course of this season. This will be determined by the Warriors’ performance over the next 22 games.