BSJ Game Report: Celtics 134, Thunder 129 - Kyrie closes out Thunder in high-scoring duel taken at TD Garden (Celtics)

(Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Celtics

BSJ Game Report: Celtics 134, Thunder 129 - Kyrie closes out Thunder in high-scoring duel

By Brian Robb

Feb 3, 2019 • 6:28 pm

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Everything you need to know about the Celtics beating the Thunder 134-129 with BSJ insight and analysis

Box Score

HEADLINES

Kyrie, elite Celtics offense carry hosts to win: Kyrie Irving (30 points, 11 assists) led eight different Celtics in double figures as Boston closed out Paul George (37 points) and the Oklahoma City Thunder with a 134-129 victory at the Garden in a thrilling matinee. Boston shot a season-high 59.3 percent from the field and dished out 36 assists in the victory, while Irving posted his fourth straight double-double in the midst of Boston's fourth straight win overall. Daniel Theis also filled in for an injured Aron Baynes (bruised foot) admirably off the bench with 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting as seven different Celtics scored between 10 and 19 points in the win.  

Celtics pull into a tie for third place in East: The top of the East is filled with some of the best teams across the league, but the Celtics are slowly but surely climbing their way back towards the top. They reached a milestone after Sunday’s win, moving into a third-place tie with the Philadelphia 76ers for the first time in months after Philly dropped a road contest in Sacramento on Saturday night. There is still plenty of work to do to catch Toronto (3.5 games ahead) and Milwaukee (five games ahead) and an injury to Aron Baynes (out until All-Star Break) won’t help matters, but this group has now won nine of ten overall, making them currently one of the hottest teams in the league after taking down a Thunder squad that had won seven straight games.  

TURNING POINT

With the Celtics clinging to a two-point lead with 20 seconds remaining, Westbrook charged up the floor in hopes of delivering the tying score. Irving switched off his man Dennis Schroder in the corner and provided pressure to a driving Westbrook, who lost control of the ball as he tried to dribble behind his back. Al Horford came up with the steal and dished it off to Jayson Tatum, who was fouled. Tatum sunk a pair of free throws to make it a two-possession game and seal the win for the hosts.

TWO UP

Al Horford in the third quarter: The 32-year-old continues to play his best basketball of the season over the past month. He tied a season-high with nine assists on Sunday and added an efficient 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting, knocking down several postups against an elite defender in Steven Adams.

Irving: The All-Star has recorded at least 20 points and a double-double in a career-high four consecutive games. He is the first Celtic to accomplish that feat since Kevin Garnett in 2007. Over his last nine games, he has averaged 28.3 points and 9.1 assists per game on 55.3 percent shooting.

TWO DOWN

Gordon Hayward: Another underwhelming offensive effort for the $30 million dollar man, who posted just three points, three rebounds and two assists while playing the most among all of the bench players (23 minutes). The Celtics were still successful with him on the floor (plus-two) but it was another tough outing after a couple of encouraging performances this week.

Defense: Both teams combined to score 29 or more points in all eight quarters, as missed defensive assignments, excessive fouling (by the Celtics) and lethargic effort at times allowed both squads to turn this outing into a bonafide shootout. There was plenty of great execution on both sides from an offensive standpoint, but the defensive highlights in this one were few and far between beyond crunch time.

TOP PLAY




TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER


This is what everyone expected at the beginning of the year:
While Gordon Hayward continues to battle through his struggles, the offensive firepower and defensive consistency right now are starting to turn this group into the look of a squad with contending aspirations. They are now 9-1 in their last 10 games and have the fifth-best offense and third-best defense in the league over that stretch. Seven different players are averaging double-digit points per game in that span and that does not include Hayward (9.3 ppg). While consistency has been an issue all year long for this group, this is easily the best-sustained stretch they have had against some elite competition (Raptors, Thunder, Warriors) mixed in. None of those tests have come on the road yet but there will be plenty of chances for that in the next month. For now, Stevens can rest a little bit easier, knowing that this team is starting to find its rhythm as the race at the top of the East tightens up.


Daniel Theis is going to turn some heads in the next month:
With Aron Baynes (sore foot) sidelined until at least the All-Star Break, Daniel Theis is going to get a big opportunity in the next five games to show he’s worthy of regular minutes within Brad Stevens rotation. There were times last year in which Theis was the more appealing option to Baynes and he showed some of that promise on Sunday, providing a team-high 14 points off the bench thanks to a terrific 3-point and finishing touch around the rim. With the rest of the C’s offense rolling, defenses are going to cheat off on Theis to try to disrupt Boston’s rhythm. He has had an up-and-down year overall but is fully capable of punishing opponents when given the opportunity. Sunday was a great start for him on that front.

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