The Boston Celtics taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday was billed as an NBA Finals preview.
And the Thunder showed they more than measured up to the reigning champions.
The Celtics offense fell flat in a major way as they mustered up just 27 points in the second half to allow the Thunder to overcome a double-digit deficit and come away with a 105-92 win at Paycom Center. Oklahoma City outscored Boston, 29-12, in the fourth quarter en route to its 15th straight regular-season win.
Here are three studs and three duds from the Thunder’s statement win over the Celtics;
STUDS
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Gilgeous-Alexander showed the Celtics why he is the frontrunner to win NBA MVP. The high-scoring guard once again powered the Thunder attack and came up with several timely plays in the fourth quarter. Gilgeous-Alexander poured in a game-high 33 points on 11-for-23 shooting while also chipping in 11 rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks. Gilgeous-Alexander certainly will want to put this performance near the top of his MVP resume.
Thunder Defense
The Thunder entered the highly anticipated matchup with the best defensive rating in the NBA. Oklahoma City’s defense lived up to the hype. OKC suffocated Boston’s offense, holding the Celtics to a putrid 8-of-40 (20%) from the floor in the second half.
Jayson Tatum
Tatum tried to ignite the Celtics in the second half without much help from anyone else. He scored 15 of his team-high 26 points in the second half. He also finished with 10 rebounds. It was a solid performance from Tatum, but one that wasn’t MVP-caliber like Gilgeous-Alexander.
DUDS
Celtics ice cold 3-point shooting
Boston’s long-range shooting typically is a strength for the team, but the Thunder took it away. That of course didn’t stop the Celtics from hoisting 3-point shots, but they were very ineffective from beyond the arc. Boston shot just 9-for-46 (19.6%) from deep, including going 1-for-13 from 3-point range in the third quarter. The poor shooting hampered Boston’s offense.
Payton Pritchard
Pritchard’s off-the-bench spark wasn’t present in Oklahoma City. The Sixth Man of the Year favorite didn’t have his scoring touch as he missed all five of the shots he took and didn’t score a single point. Pritchard was the only Celtics reserve who didn’t score. but Boston’s bench was still a problem, combining for only 13 points — the Thunder reserves totaled 27 points.
Jaylen Brown
Brown, who missed the last two games, was on his way to a marquee performance after netting 21 points in the first half. But he lost his shot after the intermission. He didn’t score at all over the final 24 minutes, missing all seven shots he took in the second half. Brown’s lack of production when it mattered most had a major impact on Boston’s offense.
