The Boston Celtics’ season hit a new low Tuesday night, as they were blown out by the Oklahoma City Thunder, 150-117, at Paycom Center.
The C’s fell to 26-12, while the Thunder improved to 16-21.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Celtics must have assumed they wouldn’t have to play defense against the Thunder, who were without star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in this one.
If they did, they were wrong.
Boston played one of its worst defensive halves of the season, allowing a young and inexperienced Oklahoma City lineup — consisting of players like Jalen Williams, Jaylen Williams, Kenrich Williams and Isaiah Joe — to put together a 57% shooting, 38 paint-point and three total-turnover first half.
After 24 minutes, the Celtics found themselves down 20 points to a team made up of players who would have trouble cracking the majority of NBA rosters. After 48 minutes, they suffered from one of the worst defensive performances in franchise history.
Marcus Smart clearly wasn’t a fan of the performance, taking an ejection midway through the third quarter.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Joe sparked Oklahoma City’s initial run with a superb second quarter, finishing the stanza with 17 points. At night’s end, the 23-year-old had a total of 21 points, four assists and four rebounds.
— Josh Giddey was tremendous in his role as the Thunder’s facilitator, finishing the night with 25 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals.
— Jalen Williams made a strong case for becoming the Western Conference’s Rookie of the Week, finishing with 21 points, six assists, three rebounds and four steals.
WAGER WATCH
DraftKings Sportsbook set Giddey’s total points-rebounds-assists number at 32.5 entering the night, giving him -105 odds of surpassing the number. He secured the Over fairly quickly, meaning a $100 bet would have netted a total payout of $195.24.
UP NEXT
The Celtics will get another crack at Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday. Tipoff from American Airlines Center is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
