Final: Celtics 111, OKC 105 - Too close for comfort

Game 17: Boston Celtics (8-8) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (6-9)
TD Garden
7:30 PM -  NBC Sports Boston 

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS

BOSTON: Dennis Schroder, Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, Grant Williams, Al Horford

OKC: Lu Dort, Darius Bazely, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Josh Giddey, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

- Jaylen Brown is still out with the right hamstring issue. Robert Williams will also miss the game with his left knee soreness. 

“They’re looking better, feeling better, hoping to have them back soon,” Ime Udoka said. “Nothing long term, but just being cautious still. They’re not 100 percent, so we’ll keep them out tonight. ... We’re not ruling him out for next game and hopeful that they will be ready.”

- Both teams are coming off a back-to-back

- OKC is 0-4 vs. Eastern Conference teams

- Boston is favored by 9

GOING A LITTLE DEEPER

- Celtics can’t suffer a letdown

Nothing will do more to erase the good feelings of beating the Lakers and LeBron James for Celtics fans than a loss to the OKC Thunder. 

“You just want to respect your opponent,” Udoka said. “The message I gave last night before we left the building was it doesn't mean anything if we don't put another effort like this together tomorrow.”

The Thunder are built to lose but they’re doing a bad job of that this season. They’re 5-5 over their last 10 games, though they’re just 2-5 on the road.

“They play extremely hard, defensively,” Udoka said. “There’s been some close games, down 20 last night to Milwaukee, fought their way back and got to a game towards the end. So a team that's gonna fight, lot of young guys playing for different reasons but they have the green light and they're very aggressive, so you can't take it for granted.”

That aggressiveness is a byproduct of the rebuilding situation in OKC. No, they’re not particularly good overall, but their carefree attitude makes up for a lack of talent and maturity.

“I think a team like this, it’s a nothing-to-lose mentality, green light, you’re trying to help those young guys grow. So they do have a lot of freedom,” Udoka said. “I liken it to the Milwaukee game when Giannis missed the game, other guys are out there taking advantage of opportunities so they'll be extra aggressive.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the unquestioned star of the team and one of the league’s brightest young talents. 

“Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the top young players that I've seen over the last few years,” Udoka said. “I’ve taken some losses against him. And then you look at last year even, this team came in and got a win on a back to back, similar to what it is now, so just remind them of all that. Have to bring the same effort and respect your opponent, appropriate fear that they had last night.”

Two of OKC’s six wins have come against the Lakers, which means nothing to this game but I wanted to throw that in there for you guys to enjoy. Also here’s Gilgeous-Alexander pulling up from the logo in a 3-point game to basically ice it. 

THAT’S playing with some freedom.

THREE THINGS TO WATCH FOR

1. Turning misses into points: The Thunder are the league’s second-worst 3-point shooting team but they’re eighth in the NBA in 3-point attempts. The ball will be flying tonight, and the Celtics need to turn those long misses into transition opportunities. That means guards boxing out and whoever challenges a shooter leaking out looking for a touchdown pass.

2. The mystery star: Which Celtic is going to step up after the back-to-back? Udoka has shown he’ll go with some full bench lineups in an effort to get some guys extra rest on the back-to-back. That’s going to leave some opportunities open for someone to step up. Is this a Payton Pritchard breakout game? Can Aaron Nesmith get back on track?

3. Putting the game away: The Thunder will not give up. They will fight until the absolute end and make the Celtics work for the win. The Celtics cannot act like they have things salted away and relax in the fourth quarter or else they’ll be back in one of those lazy, hazy clutch situations watching young legs fly by them and cut into their lead. 

GAME THREAD

Stick around for more comments below as the game goes on. Feel free to add your two cents in the comments.