Unstoppable for almost two weeks, with six wins in a row, the Celtics added a seventh last night, against the Thunder (126-122). A complicated success, because the Massachusetts players almost got themselves punished for their smugness.
Lucky for Bostonled by his trio Jayson Tatum (27 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks) — Jaylen Brown (26 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists) — Marcus Smart (22 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists), the teammates of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (37 points, 8 assists) collapsed in the fourth quarter, despite being in the lead for most of the game.
A rather cruel setback for OKAY, able to play eye-to-eye with a title contender. Certainly sufficient, therefore, but still able to accelerate at the end, to grab the victory.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
— The streak continues for Boston. Seventh victory in a row for the Celtics who, in the beautiful atmosphere of TD Garden, found the means to overthrow the Thunder in the fourth quarter (37-26). Anything but a cakewalk for Joe Mazzulla’s men, who needed a good half-time to get going and end up getting the upper hand over their visitors. Even if the manner is not there, the teammates of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown can rejoice in saying that the essentials have been assured, despite everything…
— OKC can be blamed. Typically the kind of meeting where experience played a major role, because the young guard of the Thunder let himself be caught up in the stakes, when concluding in the last act. Leading by 15 points in the third quarter, Mark Daigneault’s men gradually became disillusioned collectively, committing too many ball losses which the Celtics, who did not ask for so much, were able to feed on. A regrettable collapse, because Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his family had first seduced offensively, in the first period, to blast the defense of Boston, not in place.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. New high-class service from “SGA”, which nothing and no one seems to be able to stop this season. First supported by attractive Luguentz Dort (21 points, 5 rebounds), Aleksej Pokusevski (16 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks) and Jalen Williams (14 points, 6 rebounds), to see the Thunder settle in control, the Canadian then had to fend for himself, like a grown-up, to allow his team to exist until the end. Aggressive, in control and in all good shots, he absolutely does not slow down the pace over the days and it is always a real pleasure to watch him play.
✅ Marcus Smart. If Derrick White (16 points, 5 assists, 4 steals) and Payton Pritchard (10 points) brought a welcome boost coming off the bench, especially in the second half to pack the game, we prefer to highlight the beautiful performance of the title “Defender of the Year”. Author of 20 of his 22 points after the break, he actually came out of his box at the best of times, assuming the leadership of the Celtics in front of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, to achieve several decisive actions in the last minutes. While showing himself as often valuable, defensively.
⛔ Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s Trash. If they have certainly made their stats, the “Jay’s” also spoiled a lot today: 9/23 on shots and 1/9 at 3-pts for Tatum, 0/5 at 3-pts and 5 bullet losses for Brown. Clearly not at their best, they obviously took this match a bit too lightly, getting backhanded several times in defense and never really finding their stride in attack. Fortunately, the Celtics have a real collective behind, able to compensate for the evenings without their two All-Stars.
⛔ Josh Giddey. The day after his second triple-double at Madison Square Garden, the Australian had a little more difficulty in manipulating the Celtics defense. If he certainly compiled 16 points and 7 rebounds, he at the same time posted an ugly 6/17 on shots (including 1/6 at 3-pts), in addition to committing 7 ball losses (for only 4 assists decisive). A complicated performance, therefore, from one of the two Thunder masters, defeated by Marcus Smart, Derrick White and others.
THE FOLLOWING
Boston (11-3) : trip to Atlanta, on the night of Wednesday to Thursday (01:30).
OKC (6-8) : trip to Washington, on the night of Wednesday to Thursday (01:00).
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
