Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports
The Oklahoma City Thunder is a very talented team. They were still looking for their “statement game,” the one that made people declare they “have arrived,” going into tonight’s matchup.
Do not misunderstand me. Over the past several weeks, they’ve defeated the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves a couple times with impressive victories. But a victory over the legendary Celtics at the height of their powers would be particularly memorable.
They succeeded tonight, witnessing an incredibly exciting basketball match between the two most popular teams in the league. The Thunder prevailed despite a remarkable run by the Celtics by staying focused.
It got off to a messy start. In the first three minutes of the game, Boston committed three turnovers, and an unsettlingly high amount of loose balls appeared to end up in the hands of Thunder players. Oklahoma led 31-29 after one despite some strong play, including two straight threes from Kristaps Porzingis. After scoring 12 points in the opening quarter, Porzingis finished with 34 points and 10 rebounds.
Due to a cut on his head, Derrick White departed the game with five seconds remaining in the first, but he came back halfway through the second. His stats were 19 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds.
Despite giving up 17 points to Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with 36, 7, and 7, Boston led 61-58 at the break.
Even though Jaylen Brown was just 1-8 from the field and 0-4 at the half, he still outperformed Vertigo Cube, the halftime team who spent the entire intermission essentially playing with hula hoops.
The Celtics shot poorly in the first quarter of the third quarter and much worse in the last. They were defeated 40–25 in the third quarter as a result of Gilgeous–Alexander’s absurd shooting performance. At the start of the last quarter, the score was 98-86 Thunder, and they gave Josh Giddey far too many easy looks. Giddey had a final line of 23 points, 6 assists, and 8 rebounds.
Oklahoma City opened the fourth quarter with two fast threes that looked like they would win it all. With five minutes remaining, some heroics from Derrick White reduced the margin to eight.
Some of the most nerve-wracking basketball of the season ensued. The Celtics came on strong, gave up some poor offensive rebounds, and then made a few steals to seal the victory. Payton Pritchard and 7’1″ Chet Holmgren engaged in a jump ball match, which Pritchard ultimately won. Holmgren made several threes. After Jaylen Brown essentially missed a free throw, Derrick White made an AMAZING three-pointer to give Boston a 27-11 lead. Then they were defeated.
There wasn’t actually a horrible basketball segment in Boston. They made decent shot selections and moved the ball fairly well. When the Thunder became too hot, they all suddenly became cold.
Brown was awful, too. With 4/18 shooting and 0/8 from three, he scored 15 points. Tatum finished with 30, 13, and 8, but he was unable to help his side win.
a
In a few months’ time, Celtics supporters could forget about this one. For the Thunder, nevertheless, this was a decisive victory. There will undoubtedly be more games between Boston and this talented Thunder squad in the coming future.