OKLAHOMA CITY — Before the Celtics faced the Thunder in this highly anticipated matchup Sunday, it became clear that this was not viewed as just another game here. The Paycom Center was packed before tipoff, and the crowd booed when the Atlantic Division standings that the Celtics were simply included in harmlessly flashed on the screen prior to the game.
The Celtics erased most of that energy with a strong first half, but they simply could not sustain their effort and could not overcome a grisly afternoon of 3-point shooting. After trailing by 4 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Thunder roared ahead and stayed there, eventually securing a 105-92 win in this potential NBA Finals preview to stretch their winning streak to 15.
The Celtics, who led by as many as 13 points in the first half, connected on just 9 of 46 3-pointers and scored just 27 second-half points. Jayson Tatum had 26 points to lead Boston and Jaylen Brown, who returned after missing two games with a strained shoulder, added 21, but he did not score after halftime.
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 33 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists to lead the Thunder.
The Celtics led for most of the night despite their miserable long-range shooting. But in the fourth quarter it finally became too much to overcome.
Tatum and Gilgeous-Alexander started the fourth on the bench with Boston leading by 4, but this time the Thunder struck with aggressive play.
Cason Wallace had a steal and a layup, Luguentz Dort out-hustled the Celtics to a loose ball and roared in for a dunk, and when it appeared Tatum would have a fast-break layup, Gilgeous-Alexander raced back for a seismic chase-down block. That ignited a fast-break that ended with a powerful Isaiah Hartenstein alley-oop that gave the Thunder a 94-85 lead with 5:03 left.
Then with 2:21 left, Dort hit a 3-pointer just before the shot-clock expired before adding another 22 seconds later to make it 100-88 and finish off Boston.
At the start of the game it did not take long for Gilgeous-Alexander to remind everyone why he has emerged as a leading MVP candidate.
He scored the Thunder’s first six points, and his driving 3-point play gave Oklahoma City an early 14-12 lead.
But Brown helped the Celtics gain control with another dominant opening quarter. He hit a fadeaway catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from the right corner before adding a 3-point play inside, causing much of the pregame energy in this arena to evaporate.
The Celtics pushed ahead, 35-32, at the end of the opening quarter thanks to going 9 for 10 from the foul line and holding a 6-0 advantage in second-chance points.
Tatum and Gilgeous-Alexander both started the second quarter on the bench, but the drop-off for the Thunder is substantially greater when their star sits, and that became apparent. Boston pushed its lead to 52-44 before both players returned at the 6:43 mark. That was also when the Thunder’s second-leading scorer, Jalen Williams, collected his third foul.
The Celtics continued to capitalize on their size advantage in the opening half against the Thunder, allowing them to stretch the lead despite the fact that their 3-pointers were not really falling.
Brown, who poured in 21 first-half points, double-clutched and hit a jumper in the lane, and then a Tatum putback at the 1:15 mark gave Boston a 65-52 lead, its largest to that point. The Celtics made 17 of 23 two-pointers in the opening half (73.9 percent) and scored 34 points in the paint. Entering the day, the Thunder were allowing 41.9 points in the paint per game, the fewest in the league.
Gilgeous-Alexander gave the Thunder a push with back-to-back baskets to start the third quarter before drilling a 3-pointer at the 8:42 mark. But the Thunder never crafted a sustained run.
The Celtics mostly kept them at arm’s length despite missing one 3-pointer after another. Boston was 1 for 13 from beyond the arc in the period, and it cooled inside the arc, too. With 1:49 left, Dort hit a 3-pointer to snap an 0 for 8 start and layups by Gilgeous-Alexander and Aaron Wiggins pulled the Thunder within 77-76.
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.
