The Boston Celtics knocked off the blistering hot OKC Thunder, snapping their 12-game winning streak behind near triple-doubles from Tatum and Brown, plus great bench play.
The Thunder started the game on a 14-5 run, mostly because Sam Hauser started the game 1-5 from three on all great looks. Boston put together a 7-2 answer to keep things close, but the Thunder closed the quarter on a 15-7 run to go up 11.
The Celtics shot just 29% and 4-13 from three.found his game in the second quarter, fueling an 18-10 start that cut the lead back down to three. The run grew to 29-15 and Boston took their first lead of the game. The Thunder reclaimed it, but only led by four at the half. They pushed the lead to eight, but Boston was able to tie the game midway through the quarter. Baylor Scheierman played well on both ends and gave Boston a lead. A monster dunk by Jaylen Brown got the crowd going as Boston led 77-75. The lead grew to five heading into the fourth. Brown played the whole quarter and had 14/4/4. The teams went back and forth in the fourth but Boston was able to draw a lot of fouls and get OKC in the penalty early, which helped the Celtics balloon their lead to 14. The Celtics got a little sloppy and the Thunder were able to walk the lead down to six with about a couple minutes left. But the Celtics got into the bonus right around that time, and they were able to use free throws to hold OKC off.The first quarter was tough for both of them , but they were awesome after that. Both were in total control, making great reads, spraying the ball, and creating for everyone. The standout stats for each were Tatum’s rebounding and Brown’s assists , both things that were good but have now crossed into a different realm.He was 3-7 from three and the other shot he hit was a monster putback dunk. Well, monster for him. On the other end, he picked up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for a few possessions and held his own. He did a good job of defending without fouling, a tall task for anyone guarding SGA. “It's just who he is. He's just got a knack for making plays,” Joe Mazzulla said. “He doesn't want to be defined by one thing. He doesn't care if he shoots. He doesn't care if he has to play defense, crashing, taking care of the ball, he just has a knack for making basketball plays. It's a huge strength of his, and it gives us a different dynamic on our team.”They finished with a 19-2 advantage in second chance points. They didn’t dominate the glass at the highest volume, but they made the most of the seven offensive rebounds they did get.Aside from seeing the game extraordinarily well, Brown was able to get to the line 14 times, two more than Gilgeous-Alexander. Him drawing three quick ones in the fourth quarter was huge because it got Boston into the bonus quickly, and they were able to control the game from there.Another slow start, which impacted his overall efficiency , but he found his jumper in the second quarter and it opened up his game. Despite his ups and downs, the rebounding has been there in a big way during his comeback.,When the Celtics are getting bench production from Pritchard and one other person, they're incredibly hard to beat. Scheierman has good size and is as confident as it gets on the floor, so him finding ways to contribute like this and stay on the floor really allows the Celtics to match physical teams.He hit some big three-pointers, and helped the Celtics keep even with the Thunder bench who seemed tog et big shots from a few different guys.He did a good job screening and the Celtics missed him a couple of times when he rolled to the rim. It’s tough against the Thunder because they have different styles of center, but he held his own nicely. He did get into some foul trouble.Not really his night, but he wasn’t bad. He did get caught up in some of the officiating, which might have thrown him off some.He only played nine minutes, but his energy early on was helpful. It’s tough for him, though, as a rookie against such an experienced team.The first quarter would have looked very different if Hauser could hit an open shot. He finally knocked down a couple later in the game. The five rebounds were helpful.John Karalis is a 20-year veteran of Celtics coverage and was nominated for NSMA's Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year in 2019. He has hosted the Locked On Celtics podcast since 2016 and has written two books about the Celtics. John was born and raised in Pawtucket, RI. He graduated from Shea High School in Pawtucket, where he played football, soccer, baseball, and basketball and was captain of the baseball and basketball teams. John graduated from Emerson College in Boston with a Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcast Journalism and was a member of their Gold Key Honor Society. He was a four-year starter and two-year captain of the Men’s Basketball team, and remains one of the school's top all-time scorers, and Emerson's all-time leading rebounder. He is also the first Emerson College player to play professional basketball . John started his career in television, producing and creating shows since 1997. He spent nine years at WBZ, launching two different news and lifestyle shows before ascending to Executive Producer and Managing Editor. He then went to New York, where he was a producer and reporter until 2018. John is one of Boston’s original Celtics bloggers, creating RedsArmy.com in 2006. In 2018, John joined the Celtics beat full-time for MassLive.com and then went to Boston Sports Journal in 2021, where he covered the Celtics for five years. He has hosted the Locked On Celtics podcast since 2016, and it currently ranks as the #1 Boston Celtics podcast on iTunes and Spotify rankings. He is also one of the co-hosts of the Locked on NBA podcast.Celtics-Grizzlies Player Grades: Brown Great Again, Clutch 4th From White, Garza
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