Celtics Wrap: Boston’s Late Comeback Bid Vs. Thunder Falls Short

The Boston Celtics came up short to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 127-123, on Tuesday night at Paycom Center.

With the loss, the Celtics fell to 26-7, still atop the Eastern Conference with the NBA’s best record, while the Thunder improved to 23-9.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Boston and Oklahoma City provided an epic snippet of what the NBA Finals could be in the coming months.

Even with the Celtics taking the floor with a completely healthy starting lineup, the Thunder not only matched, but at times exceeded Boston’s energy. That made the conference-clashing duel a must-watch, even putting aside the premature finals implications that became inevitable by the final buzzer.

Oklahoma’s offense flexed its efficiency, tallying 34 total assists. Finding the picture-perfect look became contagious, especially in the second half when the Thunder built a lead as large as 18 points over the Celtics, backing Boston into a corner amid its six-game winning streak.

The Thunder quickly identified what was working for them, and they didn’t abandon that momentum. Defensively, Oklahoma City matched Boston in terms of physicality, challenging shot after shot and getting back on the other side of the floor to produce offense at a rapid rate that the Celtics struggled to keep up with from the end of the third to the early fourth quarter.

Boston, however, didn’t go away easy, turning a 10-0 run with 5:01 minutes left, into a critical last-minute comeback bid to cut Oklahoma City’s lead to single digits — which came to no avail.

Derrick White cut the lead to two with 41 seconds left, but the Celtics failed to get a much-needed stop on the other end, sending them to the loss column.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Kristaps Porzingis was the glue that kept Boston within striking distance throughout the night, scoring 34 points on an efficient 12-for-18 shooting with 10 rebounds and three blocks.

— Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was showered with “M-V-P” chants from the Oklahoma City home crowd, and rightfully so. The 25-year-old scored a game-leading 36 points, marking Alexander’s 23rd 30-plus-point performance, which is tied for an NBA lead.

— Jayson Tatum contributed a 30-point, 13-rebound double-double, but struggled, shooting 10-for-21 with four turnovers.

WAGER WATCH
FanDuel Sportsbook set the odds of Porzingis recording a double-double at +155, which the 7-foot-3 center had no issue doing. A $100 wager on Porzingis would’ve resulted in a $255 total payout.

UP NEXT
The Celtics, reaching the end of their winning streak, will head back home to host the Utah Jazz on Friday night. Tip-off from TD Garden is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.