Final: Celtics 101, Thunder 95 -- C's close out game on 16-1 run

Marcus Morris scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 27 seconds remaining, helping the visitors rally from a 16-point halftime deficit to a crucial 101-95 win over the Thunder in Oklahoma City.

Jayson Tatum had a team-high 24 points in the win for a Celtics offense that was running on empty yet again in the first half with 34 points before the break and 0-of-11 shooting from 3-point range. The starters came out with much more purpose in the second half though, fueling a 40-point third quarter that enabled the C's to claw back into the game, thanks to red-hot 3-point shooting from Al Horford (19 points, 3-of-5 from 3) and Morris (4-of-5 from deep).

The Thunder pushed the lead back up to nine midway through the fourth quarter before the C's defense locked down over the final five minutes, closing out the win with a 16-1 run capped by a huge shot from Morris off a Stevens ATO. Russell Westbrook (5-of-20 FG, 13 points) couldn't buy a bucket down the stretch enabling the C's to escape Oklahoma City with the big road win.

Second Half Notes

• Hayward starts second half for first time all season with the regular starters as Stevens tries to get that group on track.


• It works immediately as Hayward starts the scoring with a corner 3, leading to a much crispier offensive attack. Wide open 3s everywhere that start to fall.


• C's go 8/11 from deep in the frame after going 0/11 in opening half with Morris and Horford doing most of the damage from downtown.


• Marcus Smart left the game with a jammed thumb but came back later in the half.


• C's end up outscoring their first half total (34) by six points in the third quarter alone but after taking the lead midway through the quarter, the offense hit the skids again with Morris on the bench.

• Tatum finally brought the offense to live in the second quarter for a few minutes, scoring seven early points in the frame.


• Marcus Smart has been better with his shot choices this season thus far but he took a couple ill advised 3s early that earned him a step on the bench.


• Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown have both been invisible on offense. 0-of-5 shooting and one point between the two of them in 21 minutes.


• C's defense keeping them in the game with their strong contests at the rim and brutal outside shooting from the Thunder.


• Dennis Schroder (nine points) proving some nice minutes for the Thunder after Westbrook went to the bench with three fouls midway through the frame.


• C's start the game 0-of-11 from 3-point range. Thunder are 3-of-10.


• Main difference in the first half? Second chance points. Thunder with a 14-4 edge in that department based on 12 offensive rebounds.

• C's offense comes out of the gate in horrendous fashion yet again with the new starting five. Lots of missed opener jumpers and contested 2s as well.


• The Thunder go after Jaylen Brown early with Paul George. The All-Star wing finds some openings out of screens and scores nine early points.


• Horford showing some good fight early against Adams down low but OKC still taking advantage of long rebounds to get some easy second-chance points.


• Horrendous quarter by Irving on both ends. He was abused by Westbrook and Schroeder in isolation situations, plus three turnovers and 1-of-4 shooting that included a couple contested jumpers.


• More good minutes from Rozier in his time off the bench.


• C's open up 0-of-5 from 3-pont range and shoot just 34 percent in the first quarter. Somehow Thunder shot worst but finished the quarter up six due to 10 second-chance points.

• Aron Baynes will miss his second straight game on Thursday night with a sore hamstring. The center did travel with the team to Oklahoma City and could return as soon as Saturday night against the Pistons. Still, the team plans on playing it slow with the veteran due to the nature of the injury. "Basketball is not a game where you can really script the directions you're cutting and where you're running and how hard you can go and everything else," Stevens told reporters at shootaround on Thursday morning. "It's a lot of random movement, and being able to change direction quickly without thinking twice about its impact on him is really important. So I think that hamstring is something we're going to be very careful with."


• With Baynes out of the lineup, the C's will have their hands full keeping Thunder big man Steven Adams off the glass. He's been in top-5 for several years in offensive rebounding rate. It will take a full team to help Al Horford to corral him or there is a chance Daniel Theis could see extended time to help keep Adams off the glass.


• Despite their star power, the Celtics and Thunder have the two worst offenses in the league through the first nine days of the regular season. The Thunder have been the worst shooting team in the league to this point, knocking down just 23 percent of their 3-point shots and 39 percent overall shooting from the field.