The Boston Celtics earned an impressive victory at home over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night.
The win marked the team’s 48th of the season (25th at home) and its seventh in the last 10 games.
Boston is getting closer to catching the first-seeded Detroit Pistons, who continue to be without NBA MVP candidate Cade Cunningham. Just four games back of the first seed, a hot stretch to close the season could be enough for the Celtics to wrestle the East’s top position away from the Pistons.
Boston Celtics Make Impressive History in Win Over OKC
There was a playoff-like feel inside the TD Garden as soon as the ball was tipped around 7:40 p.m. Eastern Time.
The crowd was immediately into it and, even though the Celtics came out missing shots, their energy and intensity weren’t affected.
After a slow start, Boston eased into the night, especially in the second quarter where it outscored Oklahoma City by seven points and connected on six of 10 tries from beyond the arc.
Superstar wingman Jayson Tatum asserted himself in the second frame, tallying eight points, three rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals. He cashed a couple of 3-pointers and, even though the Celtics were down at halftime, it felt like the momentum was swinging.
Ultimately, behind a strong second half and especially fourth quarter, Boston rallied to a victory in front of a boisterous home crowd.
The win will go a long way when the final standings are all said and done, but there was a little more history to this game.
This Celtics triumph marked the first time since March 8, 2017, that the franchise won a game against an opponent that entered the contest 40-plus games above .500. We are talking more than 3,000 days ago.
The C’s See Total Team Effort in Win Over Defending Champs
This victory was no joke.
The Thunder entered Wednesday night riding a 12-game win streak and having a convincing three-game lead over the West’s second-best team in the San Antonio Spurs.
Boston pulled the trigger from beyond the arc 41 times and cashed 18. Hitting nearly 44% from deep is often going to win you games. Many times by a large margin.
GettyCeltics guard Payton Pritchard celebrates. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Although the Thunder pulled within striking distance a few times in the second half, the Celtics made the right plays at the right time. Even with Neemias Queta in foul trouble, forcing Boston to go small, head coach Joe Mazzulla continued to execute a coaching masterclass and had his team ready to respond to every punch Oklahoma City threw.
Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 51 points. The Celtics had four other players — Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Baylor Scheierman and Queta — record double figures in scoring. The team also dominated in second chance points (19-2).
Wednesday’s win was unquestionably a confidence booster.
Brown said postgame that the Celtics were disappointed after dropping Monday’s home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves and wanted to right the ship against the Thunder. He stated the win shows his team can play with anyone when at its best.
Boston concludes its short homestand tomorrow night against the red-hot Atlanta Hawks, winners of 14 out of their last 15 games. Atlanta knocked off Detroit last night and continues to surge.
The Celtics have another extremely tough contest on tap, but the game will be another opportunity to make a strong statement.
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