It's not that they run the streets either. But “unicorns” are becoming more and more common in the NBA. Tuesday evening in OKC, it was one of the first unicorns recognized as such, who visited Chet Holmgren, one of the Thunder's latest discoveries. And it didn't take long for Kristaps Porzingis to emerge with 10 of Boston's first 14 points.
Opposite, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander responds in his characteristic style, with 11 points sought from contact, always just as easy to outflank his direct opponent (on the right, as on the left). And the Thunder remain in contact, with a nice 3-point address, including 2/3 for Josh Giddey. After a big tarpaulin from Chet Holmgren on Jayson Tatum, OKC even won this first high-flying quarter with a short header (31-29).
The Thunder kept the pace at the start of the second quarter with a 10-3, including the first 3-point basket in his last 9 games from Vasilije Micic. But Boston responds tit for tat with Peyton Pritchard who puts everyone back on par (41-41). Brown well held, at 6 points at 1/8 on shots, it's Porzingis who keeps the C's in rhythm with 18 points, well relayed by Tatum who wakes up before halftime.
Less precise, like two consecutive walks whistled against Jalen Williams, the Thunder gave up their advantage at halftime (61-58). It must be said that the Celtics will provoke their destiny by looking for mistakes: 14 shots against 5 in the first half.
A stifled end to the match
Back in favor recently, notably with an address found from afar, Giddey revives his troops upon returning from the locker room. He scored 11 points and gave the Thunder a good run, which took +10 after a 15-7. And, when it's not him, it's SGA who puts pressure on the Celtic defense. With 16 of his 33 points in the 3rd quarter, the All Star leader allowed his team to have a significant gap of 12 points before the last quarter (98-86).
Jaylin Williams (at the buzzer) and Cason Wallace hit from behind the arc and force an immediate Boston timeout. The match is in a seesaw with OKC on the verge of widening a significant gap at twenty. But the C's come back to -10 with 5 minutes remaining, thanks to an 8-0 initiated by Derrick White and marked by a dunk from Al Horford.
Hooked until the end, the Celtics are -2 with 15 seconds remaining despite a clutch basket from J-Dub. In the small game of throws, the young Thunder did not tremble and resisted the return of Boston to reap a fifth victory in a row (127-123).
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Who can stop the Thunder? Out of five victories in a row, the Thunder have simply beaten the Wolves, first in the West, the reigning champion Nuggets and therefore the Celtics, first in the East, undefeated for six matches. With eight wins in their last nine games, OKC is one of the teams in good shape at the moment before embarking on a four-game road trip on the East Coast.
– SGA on its way! Named player of the week, with an average of 33 points, Gilgeous-Alexander finished this match at the top with 36 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds and no lost balls! This is the 23rd game of the season (out of 30) where he scored 30 points or more, the best in the League this year!
– The Celtics so close so far… Several times came back under ten points in the last five minutes, including a foray at -6, notably with Tatum who took up the defensive challenge against SGA, and on a big dunk plus Porzingis' fault, the C's made the match stragglers until the end, even coming back to -2 with 15 seconds to go. Unfortunately, Porzingis' foot prevented Boston from coming back closer on a shot estimated at 2-points.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
