BOSTON — The final meeting of the season between title contenders from the East and West proved that the NBA is in store for an exciting Finals this coming June.
The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Boston Celtics 118-112 Wednesday in a thrilling game defined by physicality and Boston’s unrelenting dedication to shooting the 3, which set a franchise record with 63 attempts from long range.
Jaylen Brown and Derrick White fouled out trying to stop MVP contender Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with 34 points and seven assists. Jayson Tatum kept the Celtics in the game most of the night with 33 points, eight assists and eight rebounds, but Brown had one of his worst games of the year with just 10 points.
Gilgeous-Alexander put his stamp on this game early with a variety of acrobatic finishes, then Chet Holmgren took over the scoring to make up for the absence of Jalen Williams. Holmgren finished with 23 points and 15 rebounds, his third game with at least 20 points and 15 rebounds this season.
The Celtics attempted 22 3-pointers and just two shots from inside the arc in the first quarter. They finished with 36 shots from deep in the first half, an NBA record per NBC Sports Boston’s Dick Lipe.
As a byproduct of the Celtics’ 3-point barrage, they had 15 offensive rebounds and a plus-9 advantage in second-chance points. With Kristaps Porziņģis a late scratch due to what he has called an unidentified virus that has kept him out for eight games in a row, Al Horford was crucial again as the starting center, finishing with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
This is Boston’s third game against a title contender in the past two weeks — the Celtics lost to Cleveland on February 28 and beat Denver in the next game on March 2. Porziņģis will play a key role if the Thunder and Celtics meet in the Finals, but the Thunder offense was able to carve through the Celtics even without Jalen Williams.
Thunder defense, versatility give Celtics fits
This was a shining moment for Mark Daigneault’s defense, which was swarming and connected the entire night. The Celtics took a record number of 3s in the first half, but they struggled to get open ones. The Thunder were so good at shifting to stop dribble penetration and then recover so quickly that the Celtics couldn’t even get the shot they wanted.
Gilgeous-Alexander controlled the game early on and didn’t need to go on any big scoring runs thereafter. The Thunder had enough players attacking the paint effectively that they didn’t rely on their MVP contender to put them on his back. That’s a testament to Holmgren, who was a focal point of the offense in the first half with Williams out, and was able to get to the line seven times. The Thunder took 23 more free throws than Boston.
This game also showcased the Thunder’s lineup versatility, as they were able to mix in double big zones in the first half with some small ball to maintain their offensive flexbility. Even without Williams providing the secondary playmaking that typically gives them a consistent edge, the Thunder offense kept finding different adjustments. Then in crunch time, Daignaeult figured out how to attack Joe Mazzulla’s gamble to put Payton Pritchard on Gilgeous-Alexander, drawing over a double team that gave Cason Wallace room to put the game to bed. — Jared Weiss
Jaylen Brown’s struggles prove critical
During an early January loss to the Thunder, Jaylen Brown went scoreless on 0-for-7 shooting in a disastrous second half for his team. Afterward, when asked what shifted, Daigneault pointed out that Oklahoma City assigned Lu Dort to defend Brown in that half. For a player, there are worse reasons for going silent. Dort can give headaches to the best.
Brown didn’t have that excuse Wednesday. With Dort primarily guarding Tatum, Brown still finished with just 10 points on 5-for-15 shooting with as many turnovers (two) as assists. He didn’t make any of his five 3-point attempts and failed to draw a single free-throw attempt. When the Celtics had a chance to take a lead late in the third quarter, he lost the dribble on a spin move. Earlier in the same period, he had a shot blocked by Wallace in the post. Four minutes into the fourth quarter, Brown missed a wide open corner 3-pointer with a chance to tie the game. He did take on the challenge of defending Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with 34 points, but picked up his fifth foul with seven minutes left. Brown briefly subbed out, then fouled out shortly after he returned.
Boston had other missed opportunities. After letting Oklahoma City shoot 55.8 percent in the first half, the Celtics shot 5-for-27 on 3-point attempts after halftime, with a couple of big misses that could have put pressure on the Thunder. Still, in a game that featured an abundance of high-level basketball, even a solid game from Brown might have been enough. The Celtics will need more from him if these two teams meet again in the Finals. — Jay King
Required reading
(Photo: Brian Fluharty / Getty Images)
