Final: Celtics 101, Thunder 94

GAME: No. 9 of 82
WHO: Celtics (6-2) vs. Thunder (4-3)
WHEN:  9:30 EST
WHERE:  Chesapeake Bay Arena
RADIO: 98.5 the Sports Hub
TV: NBC Sports Boston, ESPN
BOX SCORE: NBA.COM

Projected Starting Lineups:

Celtics
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Al Horford
C: Aron Baynes

Inactive list: Gordon Hayward (leg) are out.

Thunder:

PG: Russell Westbrook
SG: Andre Robertson
SF: Paul George
PF: Carmelo Anthony
C: Steven Adams



THIRD QUARTER ANALYSIS

• What a turnaround that was. C's shook things by starting Marcus Morris in the second half in place of Aron Baynes and succeeded in finding some spacing right away.


• The more athletic lineup also got out in transition a bit as Morris had a couple of successful takes while Jaylen Brown showed plenty of aggressiveness as well (eight points in quarter)


• Defensively, the Celtics did better getting out to contest 3s (2-of-6 in quarter) while the Thunder settled for a variety of midrange shots that did not go down. Overall, the hosts shot 30 percent and managed to score just 16 points in the frame.


• Kyrie Irving found some rhythm late in the quarter as well, taking the ball to the rack on a couple of occasions while strong ball movement found him for a couple treys as well. Nine points for him on 4-of-6 shooting.

• Jayson Tatum was only Celtic to really getting it going early in the half here. He scored 13 of Boston's 34 points with a mix of long jumpers and takes to the rim, getting the best of Carmelo Anthony in the process.


• Celtics are letting the role guys beat them in the second quarter. Alex Abrines got loose for a couple 3s early, then Patrick Patterson made a couple of treys midway through the frame. C's can't afford to let guys like that feast on open looks, particularly in transition.


• Just a horrific offensive first half for the C's on the whole. 31 percent shooting, very little ball movement, and an ugly scoring half for their star (1-of-9 shooting).


• On flip side, OKC is hitting enough shots, particularly enough 3s in transition to keep the lead comfortably in double digits for the entire second quarter.

• Very sluggish start for the Celtics' offense who didn't score a field goal for first couple minutes of the game. Jayson Tatum has been solid early (6 points in first six minutes) but rest of Boston's offense looks relatively sluggish, failing to create good looks against an elite Thunder D. Not great movement at all.


• Offensive rebounds have provided plenty of early opportunities for both teams.


• Slow start for Russell Westbrook (1-of-5 FG) in first six minutes.


• Kyrie Irving has missed badly on his first few jumpers and started his night 0-for-4.


• Jaylen Brown took a forearm to his face from Westbrook on a jump ball midway through the first quarter. Officials ruled it a flagrant 1 after a review.


• Marcus Morris made his debut midway through the quarter, entering the game with Marcus Smart. Rough start for him with a couple of long contested 2s and a missed bunny around the basket.


• Thunder closed out the quarter on an 18-7 as Westbrook wreaked havoc in the paint and help open up space for the OKC 3-point shooters, (4-of-8 from deep in frame), while C's offense floundered (30 percent from field). OKC threw a ton of double teams at C's and C's weren't able to get good shots out of them on most possessions.

• I wrote about four things to watch for in tonight's showdown including Marcus Morris making his season debut. He will be on 20-22 minute restriction for tonight's matchup.


• Lots of Celtics fans in the arena tonight. Thunder fans are loud, but C's should be getting their fair share of cheers tonight as well.


• Brad Stevens keeps raving about Jayson Tatum's ability to attempt on the fly: “One of the things that we’ve been pretty adamant on here in the last few years is you’ll play if you add value to winning. And he does a lot of things that add value to winning. Age is certainly a large discussion point with him, but he can be told something once and apply it immediately. If he gets beat on something he rarely gets beat on it again or over and over. He makes the adjustment, he’s got a good emotional maturity about him that’s well beyond his years. And we need him. The reality is we need him and Jaylen to be good. And if we’re going to be a good team, those guys are big, important parts of it.”


• Billy Donovan, Al Horford's college coach, still glows about his former big man: "The thing I would say about Al, and it’s so hard to put a measuring stick, but he has the It factor. You can’t pinpoint it. He’s just a winner. He can figure out how to get inside any team and figure out a way to make the team better in the locker room chemistry wise and on the court chemistry wise. He’s really unique from that standpoint, one of the best leaders I’ve ever been around, one of the best players I’ve ever had a chance to coach. Really, really smart. Very, very, bright. I think his game has always—every year in the years I had him—always gotten better. He’s that kind of a player who’s always going to get better because he’s really smart and bright and he knows what to focus on and what he has to do. But he’s a terrific player."