Boston Celtics end Oklahoma City Thunder's winning streak and instill more fear in the East
Massachusetts victory with a great performance by Jaylen Brown in a duel that gives them even more morale heading into the playoffs
The Boston Celtics secured a significant victory by defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 119-109, ending the reigning champion's 12-game winning streak.
The standout player was Jaylen Brown, who scored 31 points, 14 of them in a crucial third quarter that changed the course of the game. The shooting guard also contributed eight rebounds and eight assists, leading Boston's comeback after halftime.
Alongside him, Jayson Tatum left behind two quiet performances to almost reach a triple-double with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists. With this win, the Celtics evened the regular-season series between the last two NBA champions.
Brown continues to have a historic season. With this game, he reached 33 outings of 30 or more points, tying Paul Pierce for the fifth-best mark in franchise history in a single season. Legendary names like Larry Bird and John Havlicek are ahead, while his teammate Tatum leads the list.
The game was decided after halftime. Boston entered the final quarter with an 88-83 lead and even extended it to 14 points. Oklahoma City closed the gap to six with 1:30 left to play, but a layup by Brown and two free throws by Derrick White sealed the game.
In the visiting team, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander once again shone with 33 points and eight assists. The guard has now scored at least 30 points in seven consecutive games against Boston, the best streak against the Celtics since LeBron James had nine between 2004 and 2008. However, the Thunder struggled with their outside shooting (12 for 37 from three-point range) and were clearly outmatched in second-chance points (19-2).
Lu Dort contributed 14 points, while Jalen Williams, in his second game back from a 16-game absence due to a muscle injury, scored seven points.
Celtics' Revenge
The game also served as revenge for Boston, who had lost by two points to Oklahoma City two weeks earlier. Both teams had key absences in that game, a situation that partly repeated in this second matchup.
The Celtics thus achieved their first victory against a team with more than 40 games above a 50% win rate since 2017 when they defeated the Golden State Warriors.
Coach Joe Mazzulla highlighted his team's progress after the game, emphasizing improvements in physical intensity, offensive organization, and defensive level, with their focus now on the upcoming matchup against the Atlanta Hawks.
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