Marcus Smart seals Thunder's Fate
Former Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart may not have made the most of his return home in the way of scoring, but it was his steal that sealed a win for the visiting Celtics on Sunday. With 5.8 seconds left and the Thunder trailing 108-111 after two Kemba Walker free-throws, Smart pokes the ball loose from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Dennis Schroder was forced to foul Walker, and Walker slammed the door shut by making it 112-108 game. Chris Paul would hit a 33 pull up jumper in the final seconds giving us a final score of 112-111 Celtics. Forward Jayson Tatum says, "He definitely saved us today, saved me from the three turnovers I had late in the stretch, so that was a big-time play by him."
The Oklahoma City locker room was subdued after the game. Sensing a lost opportunity, Paul says, "We definitely competed, but to start the third quarter we had a big letdown. " That letdown Pau is speaking of was watching a 10 point Thunder evaporate. Paul also says that he let Jayson Tatum get going, Tatum hit Oklahoma CIty for 12 points in 8:35 of the third frame.
Tatum points to the Celtics grit as the main reason they were able to overcome the Thunder's double-digit lead. "They're a really good team, they've got a lot of great players, especially their three-guard lineup."..."They're tough when they're competing, so we just had to match that intensity."
Oklahoma City has not lacked intensity this season. Billy Donovan thought his team battled and fought. However, there were times he feels the Thunder got caught in some switches that they could have avoided putting Danilo Gallinari in a tough situation defensively.
Hamidoul Diallo returned to the floor for the first time in two games. Diallo gave the Thunder 12:30, which included a nasty cutting dunk late in the third quarter to tie the score at 84.
Diallo was getting his minutes due to Darius Bazley leaving in the first quarter with a right knee sprain. Donovan did not have an update on Bazley's condition.
Worth noting, Lou Dort spent a lot of time on the bench with foul trouble. This gave Terrance Ferguson a chance to cash in on some much-needed floor time. Ferguson played 26:18, which is above his season average. Before tipoff, Donovan said, "I feel very, very comfortable and confident with him, and the more he's playing the more he'll get into a rhythm.
Stat of the night: All Thunder players in double figures hit eight shots from the field. Dennis Schroder (8 of 21) Gallinari (8 of 14) Gilgeous-Alexander (8 of 12) and Chris Paul (8 of 15).
The Thunder host the Spurs Tuesday night at the Peake. Tipoff is at 7 on Fox Sports Oklahoma.
