Thunder’s Young Guns Stun Boston Celtics, 150-117

The Oklahoma City Thunder, without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Aleksej Pokusevski, and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, faced off with the number one team in the Eastern Conference – the Boston Celtics – on Tuesday night. Being short-handed wasn’t a problem, however, as seven Thunder players posted double-digit scoring numbers to oust the Celtics, 150-117.

Josh Giddey led the way with 25 points, five rebounds, five assists, and zero turnovers. Tre Mann, Isaiah Joe, Luguentz Dort, and Jalen Williams each scored over 20 points.

Despite not having Gilgeous-Alexander available, the Thunder started off the first frame on the right foot, matching the Celtics’ bucket-for-bucket, forcing a 13-13 tie midway through the quarter. They would continue on a 16-4 run that featured some hot shooting and defensive playmaking from the Thunder’s guard rotation and Oklahoma City would lead 29-20 with a few minutes remaining.

But Boston’s Malcolm Brogdon would respond with a 3-pointer, igniting a 7-0 run for Boston to cut the lead to two. Mann quickly answered with a step-back 3-pointer of his own to try and preserve the Thunder’s lead, but Jayson Tatum would take over the Celtics’ offense and help his team into the lead. A timely cut by Darius Bazley would result in a thunderous dunk to give Oklahoma City a 34-33 lead heading into the second quarter.

Wiggins, in just his seventh start of the season, led the way for Oklahoma City, scoring eight points on four shots while Giddey and Dort combined for 13 points and two steals before taking a seat.

Joe came out firing in the second frame, scoring a quick six points, spearheading Oklahoma City’s offensive attack and kicking off an 11-2 run to set the tone for the rest of the quarter. That energy would carry the Thunder through the rest of the frame as Dort, Mann, and Kenrich Williams were all able to find a way to score before an easy Jalen Williams layup would boost their lead to 15 points with just a few minutes left.

Joe wasn’t finished, though. Late in the quarter, Joe would drill two more deep 3-pointers while Jalen Williams would drill a mid-range jumper to give Oklahoma City a 22-point lead with just over a minute remaining. The Thunder would head into halftime with a 74-54 cushion over Boston.

Oklahoma City’s momentum showed no signs of slowing down to get things started in the third quarter, quickly scoring 16 points to earn a 90-67 lead as it seemed Boston had no interest in protecting the rim. They would eventually extend their lead, giving them a 122-91 lead over the Celtics heading into the final frame. The Celtics couldn’t seem to stop Josh Giddey who poured in 15 points, including three 3-pointers, in the quarter to give him 25 points on the night.

The fourth quarter started off with several Thunder players making highlight plays. Williams kicked things off with his second monstrous dunk of the night after a seam opened up and Joe blew by Blake Griffin to detonate all over Payton Pritchard, earning him an and-1 opportunity. He would miss the free throw but get his own putback.

Mann also continued his hot shooting streak, nailing a contested 3-pointer off the glass to help the Thunder to their 131st point of the game. Even Jaylin Williams, who hasn’t received much playing time this season, knocked down a triple.

And mid-way through the fourth quarter, the Thunder found themselves up 137-105. It was all downhill from there as the Thunder’s big lead became insurmountable. They would close out the game after notching the 150-point mark to take down the best team in the Eastern Conference.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will have little opportunity for rest as they will fly to Orlando to face the Magic in the Amway Center at 6:00 p.m. CST on Wednesday night.

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