Thunder 107, Celtics 123: The Day After Report

Box Score | Play-by-Play

Final: Celtics (48-24) def. Thunder (57-16), 107-123

Nuggets and Notes:

• It was a playoff like atmosphere at the TD Garden. The Thunder and Celtics are the last two champions of the sport, their respective big 3s hadn't played each other once in that span.
• The game went down to the wire, but Boston set the terms. Shai found a dense forest every time he broke the perimeter, but still managed to convert when given a sliver of space or getting one of his defenders (plural) off-balance.
• Jayson Tatum and Jalen Williams aren’t really at full strength yet, but close enough. JDub struggled mightily to create and score against the Celtics (7 pts/3 rbs/3 ast, 2-9 FGA), and most of his teammates followed suit.
• His kickouts to wide open shooters didn't fare so well. Outside of Dort (OF COURSE Lu went 4-6 from three on another “when can dump Dort?” Twitter day), everyone else went 5-27 from three

• Shai was the best player on the floor, per usual. The MVP scored 33 on 10/12 shooting while Boston lived at the line (25-29 as a team). Twitter’s takeaway? The integrity of the game was ruined when Shai drew that one foul. Groundhog Day.
• And before the internet’s best and brightest read the box score and yell at you about his free throw exploits (he was an excellent 10-12 at the line), note that he scored 12 on 5-6 shooting without any free throws in the first half.
• Aesthetically, the flow of foul calls did dull the fun. Oklahoma City and Boston combined for just 9 first half free throws, then took 46(!) combined in the second half. Sloggy.
• SGA is neck and neck with Steph Curry for the most efficient 30+ ppg season of all time. Reminder: People once thought Steph’s points were cheap and easy, too. Shai is setting a standard the league is still adjusting to.
• The annoyed king complimented Jaylen Brown on his foul baiting after the game. He had more sincere praise for Tatum, noting in particular his growth in the midrange. The new standard.
• Victor Wembanyama has been pointing to San Antonio as the Thunder's biggest challenger while asking for your MVP vote on the campaign trail. But despite the Spurs blowing out the tanking Grizzlies last night, Boston is a much more proven foe. Since Tatum’s incredible early return, I've had them penciled into the Finals, the team OKC will most likely have to go through to repeat.

One Key Takeaway: End of the road…trip

Losing for the first time in 13 games, on the road, to one of the next playoff teams in the league: not alarming. The league is salivating at any signs of weakness for OKC, and the remaining 9-game stretch of the season is brutal.

We stopped asking if the Thunder were the '96 Bulls long ago, but they've had to play near those heights to stay on top of a really, really competitive playoff field. They've pulled it off without their full roster thus far, but after a home game against the Bulls on Friday, things won’t get any easier between here and glory.