The OKC Thunder fall just short to the 1st seed in the eastern conference and the reigning eastern conference champions, 126-122. The Thunder fall to 6-8, but are still tied for the 10th seed. Thunder were led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander once again, scoring 37 points against one of the best defenders in the league.
(Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Summary
In a game where most believed the Thunder did not stand a chance, they got off to a great start thanks to JDub and Poku. They built up a 9 point 1st quarter lead. Celtics narrowed it down to 3 to end the 1st, but still a great quarter for the Thunder. They were able to maintain the lead in the 2nd quarter as well and outscored Boston again. They had a 7 point lead at halftime, 79-72. Coming out of the half, OKC continued to make plays and got a 15 point lead with just 4:43 to go in the 3rd. Then the youth started to show in this team as turnovers helped the Celtics tie up the quarter and cut the lead to 7. But still, OKC had a solid lead against the best record in the NBA. The Celtics' defense continued to smother OKC, forcing turnover after turnover and finally started to knock down their 3s. Throughout the 4th quarter it was back and fourth, Thunder were hanging on. But Marcus Smart absolutely took over, scoring 20 points in the 2nd half. It was just enough to defeat the Thunder, outscoring them in the 4th 37-26. A great performance for the youngest team in the NBA, and although the loss hurts, it was a great game for development. Thunder continue their good 3-point shooting, which tonight it was not as good as lately but still much better than early in the season. They hit 11 3s on 30 attempts (36.7%). 19 turnovers though is unacceptable. Boston had 15 steals to just 4 for OKC. Poku continues to show great signs, you could debate this was his best game of his career.
Box Score:
OKC:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 37p, 4r, 8a, 2s
Luguentz Dort: 21p, 5r
Aleksej Pokusevski: 16p, 14r, 3a, 3b
Josh Giddey: 16p, 7r, 4a
JDub: 14p, 6r, 2a
Kenrich: 7p, 2a, 1s
BOS:
Jayson Tatum: 27p, 10r, 3s, 3b
Jaylen Brown: 26p, 6r, 6a, 2s
Marcus Smart: 22p, 5r, 8a
Derrick White: 16p, 5a, 4s
Al Horford: 12p, 11r, 4a
Payton Pritchard: 10p, 4r, 2s
Grant Williams: 7p, 7r, 2s
Awards:
Most Valuable:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Know Your Role:
Aleksej Pokusevski
Defensive Lockdown:
Aleksej Pokusevski
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