BOSTON — The Celtics stumbled Tuesday in their first full game without Jae Crowder, which could be expected when you’re missing a guy who had started every game to that point.
But things went from bad to worse Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and it appears Boston is done making excuses.
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were a two-man wrecking crew at TD Garden, combining for 52 points, 12 rebounds and 15 assists despite playing under 30 minutes apiece in a 130-109 rout of the Celtics.
“We just got pounded,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “I think it’s a credit to (the Thunder). We have to play better, but I don’t think it was — I actually thought our guys came out and competed. We could’ve done things better, but I thought we competed at the start at least.”
The C’s kept things somewhat close in the first half, but the wheels came off in the second, as the Thunder exploded for a 42-point quarter that gave them 108 points at the end of three. While Stevens was quick to credit OKC, his All-Star point guard struck a very different tune.
“They punked us,” Isaiah Thomas said. “We played soft as tissue. That third quarter, they took advantage of every little thing they could have. With a good team like that, you can’t have that happen. So, whoever’s playing, whether Jae’s out, Kelly (Olynyk is) back — they punked us. That was basically what it was. They were the tougher team, no question.”
Thomas, who dropped a game-high 29 points on 11 of 19 shooting, wasn’t done ripping his squad, whose 130 points allowed was the most it has surrendered in a non-overtime game this season.
“We can’t play a game like we did (Wednesday)Â where we’re not the tougher team,” he added. “When we’re not the team, we’re not good at all. So, we’ve got to figure it out and get a must-win on Friday.”
The Celtics’ opponent Friday is a Toronto Raptors club that owns the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. It’ll be a tough test for a Boston club that now has lost three games in row to slip down to the No. 4 seed, and Thomas was very direct in stressing the importance of getting a win.
“S—, three in a row losses that we’ve had?” Thomas said. “This is probably our worst loss of the season. We’ve got to win.”
Poor shooting in particular has been an issue for the Celtics, as they’ve shot under 30 percent from 3-point range in each of their last three games. But in what was a theme of the night for Thomas, he’s not making any excuses.
“Keep shooting,” he said. “Figure it out. You’re a pro. That’s what they pay you to do. Got to figure it out, got to keep shooting. Got to continue to continue to have confidence in yourself, because we need those shots to fall for us to be a good team.”
Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
