BSJ Game Report: Thunder 127, Celtics 123 - C's rally to nearly erase 18 point lead, but run out of time

Everything you need to know about the Celtics loss to the Thunder, with BSJ insight and analysis

IN A NUTSHELL

OKC came out hitting their shots early, taking a couple of early leads as big as eight, but Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick White took turns making different kinds of important plays to keep things close. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown woke up from early doldrums to key a run to give Boston a halftime lead. The third quarter belonged to OKC in a big way, With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey combining for 27 and Boston putting up only 25. The lead grew to 18 halfway through the fourth, but a furious Celtics comeback cut it to two twice in the final minute, but the Thunder closed it out at the free throw line. 

Box Score

HEADLINES

- OKC is for real: If you haven't seen the Thunder play before, this was your first chance to get the full SGA experience. He shot 14-22 overall on his way to 36 points and a real statement for his MVP candidacy. Giddey punished Boston for putting Porzingis on him defensively and sagging off. And Chet Holmgren hit some dagger shots while protecting the rim with four blocked shots and many more shots changed. 

- Off nights: Brown never could get going in this game, finishing 4-18 from the field, 0-8 on 3-pointers. Jrue Holiday also struggled overall, leading to Joe Mazzulla going with Payton Pritchard instead down the stretch. 

- Strong comeback: Down 18, it looked like the Thunder were just the flat-out better team and they were cruising to a 20-point win. Credit to the Celtics for coming back the way they did. Maybe if Porzingis’ foot was a half size smaller, life would have been different with the lead cut to one instead of two. At that point, the loss becomes about other things, like getting smoked in the third the way they did. 

TURNING POINT 

The Thunder turned a 10 point lead early in the fourth quarter into an 18 point lead almost halfway through the fourth quarter. They did give a huge Boston run, but that early stretch in the fourth, which happened to be without Gilgeous-Alexander or Holmgren on the floor, built a lead juuuuust big enough to hold on. 

THINGS I LIKED

- The comeback: Never say die, right? The Thunder are the second-youngest team in the NBA so they were complicit in allowing the Celtics comeback with some bad turnovers, but Boston had to make it happen. Tatum’s defense on SGA was really good and Mazzulla’s decision to go with Pritchard over Holiday paid off. 

- Kristaps Porzingis: He finished with 34 points on nearly 67% shooting to go along with 10 rebounds and three blocked shots. He probably should have picked up a few more points at the free throw line, where he was already 8-9. 

- Jayson Tatum: Slow start but big finish for Tatum, who finished with 30 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists. He was big against SGA, helping to limit him to 0-3 shooting in the fourth for three points and a -11 in the quarter. 

- Derrick White: He came back from getting stitched up to help lead Boston back in the second quarter. He was also 3-3 from 3 in the fourth quarter

- Payton Pritchard: He didn't score in the fourth, but he was a +8 playing all 12 minutes while Mazzulla kept Holiday parked on the bench. 

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

- Jaylen Brown: It’s been a while since he’s been this off. He’s been playing the best ball of his life, and did have nine points in the fourth quarter, but the Celtics needed more than six points on 1-10 shooting heading into the fourth. 

- Jrue Holiday: He struggled with Gilgeous-Alexander defensively. Welcome to the club, Jrue. He’s torching a lot of guys. 

- The third quarter: It’s been a while since they’ve put up a stinker like this out of the half. 

The Celtics were 6-11 overall in the paint and they missed four shots in the restricted area. Those turned into transition opportunities, fouls, and just exasperation for a team that couldn't convert well enough on six offensive rebounds

HIGHLIGHTS

TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- Chalk it up.

As I’ve said all along, even if they get to 60 wins, there will be 22 losses along the way. This is one of the losses I can easily live with. 

The Thunder were the better team for most of the game, and Boston had very correctable mistakes that could have changed the course of things. 

There's a lot to take from this game, there are a few things to dismiss out of hand (like the shooting variances), but in the end, this is a road loss to a good team who shot the lights out. This is an easy one to digest.

- Chet Holmgren is going to be the Rookie of the Year. 

I’m typically against guys who sit out a year due to injury getting the ROY because they have a full year to get used to the grind. But the rules are what they are. 

Victor Wembanyama is going to get points because he’s the main guy on a bad team, but Holmgren is making a major contribution to a winning team. He looks more fluid and polished at the moment. 

That won’t last long. I don’t think Holmgren is going to be the best player on a champion while I think Wembanyama has a chance to be the best player of this generation. But right now, Holmgren has to get the bump for doing what he’s doing on a team this good. 

Boston was flat-out afraid to challenge him when he was at the rim for much of this game. And you can argue that his 3-pointer with 2:06 to play, turning a six-point lead to a nine-point lead, was the biggest shot of the game because it held off a hard Celtics charge. 

He was huge in this game for the Thunder. He’ll continue to be huge for them. That should be enough to earn him Rookie of the Year. 

Next up: The Celtics come back home to face the Utah Jazz on Friday night