Jayson Tatum, Boston too much to Handle for Depleted OKC
Without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, the Celtics were overwhelming for the Thunder in TD Garden.
The Oklahoma City Thunder had to clash against a the clear frontrunner in the East in the Boston Celtics on Wednesday evening, without its two young stars.
No Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Jalen Williams for the second consecutive game, it was an uphill battle before the tip.
They didn't let up despite a completely uncharacteristic 3-point shooting performance , but their toughness wasn't enough to overcome Jayson Tatum's, Kristaps Porzingis' and Jaylen Brown's 74 combined points – as Oklahoma City fell 135-100 to Boston to slip back firmly into the No. 3 seed in the West.
Now three games into a difficult road stretch, the Thunder sit 1-2 on this trip awaiting the Indiana Pacers and Charlotte Hornets.
In the loss, Josh Giddey added onto his improved month of March again with a team-high 17 points on 11 shots.
Cason Wallace played a big role on the night on both ends, and generated 12 points, five assists, four steals and a block. Aaron Wiggins also produced 10 points and five assists in 28 minutes.
The Thunder's first frame was fairly in balance for the majority of it, as Giddey took the helm and opened up the contest aggressively. Several scores early and contributions from Chet Holmgren and Jaylin Williams didn't let the score get away from them in the first, but a poor 3-point s didn't put them in a great position.
The same couldn't be said for Boston, as they'd come out hot from beyond the arc which led them to a 30-23 advantage by the end of the first.
The Celtics came to open it up in the second, with Tatum continuing his strong start to the game while Porzingis really opened up himself and set the running theme for the game. Porzingis would have a massive second frame, helping extend Boston's lead to as high as 16 in stride with the Tatum-Jaylen Brown duo.
Oklahoma City had their worst shooting half on the season to compound onto their deficit in front of a momentous crowd, shooting just 2-of-15 from three and 17-of-46 from the field. Holmgren and Lu Dort went a combined 0-of-7 from beyond the arc while Giddey and Isaiah Joe were able to sink one apiece.
It was not a pretty half. The Thunder could've found themselves in a much bigger hole if they hadn't created four takeaways, but it was just a 14-point deficit entering the third frame.
Holmgren and Giddey came out quick from halftime with multiple scores, and disruptive defense and playmaking from Cason Wallace erased half of Boston's lead in just over two minutes into the quarter.
They'd work and slowly chip away, but Tatum's three-level scoring and Porzingis missing only three of his 12 shot attempts to this point held Oklahoma City in place – entering the final frame with Boston in front 93-83.
Boston would come out in a scoring flurry and would not look back, leaving the Thunder to do nothing but look on to the next one.
Oklahoma City is next slated against Indiana Pacers at 6 p.m. CT on Friday inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Want to join the discussion? Like Inside the Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.
