The Thunder look like a genuine contender.
The Celtics rallied late but couldn’t overcome a big fourth-quarter deficit on Tuesday, falling to the Oklahoma City Thunder 127-123.
Here are the takeaways.
1. Before we get to the rally, we should note that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looked like the most unstoppable player the Celtics faced so far this season. Admittedly, the Celtics are yet to take on Nikola Jokic or Luka Doncic, but through 32 games, Gilgeous-Alexander’s uniquely patient, unflappable offensive skill set was unstoppable for 3.5 quarters. Neither Jrue Holiday nor Derrick White — both of whom are All-Defense candidates — had anything for the Thunder superstar, who poured in 36 points on 14-for-22 shooting and made three of his five triples. He also dished out seven assists and grabbed six rebounds. The only place he struggled was at the free throw line, where he uncharacteristically went 5-for-8 (he is shooting just under 92 percent this season).
NBA.com’s MVP ladder lists Gilgeous-Alexander No. 4, and maybe that’s right so far this season. But the Celtics have some answers for No. 1 (Joel Embiid) and No. 3 (Giannis Antetokounmpo). As a scorer, Gilgeous-Alexander is as tough as it gets.
2. The Celtics showed some grit in the fourth quarter when they could have packed their bags and prepped for a trip home after starting the New Year with games against the Spurs and Thunder. Jalen Williams (yes, we double-checked we had the right one) threw down a massive one-handed dunk in transition with 8:25 remaining in the fourth quarter, which pushed the Thunder advantage to 18, and the Celtics subbed Jayson Tatum and Derrick White in for one more push.
After two empty possessions, Al Horford threw down a one-handed slam in transition, which was mildly interesting.
The Celtics got a stop, and White buried a three, which was a little more interesting.
Jaylen Brown scored a layup, the Celtics blocked Chet Holmgren at the rim, and White buried another 3-pointer, and suddenly things perked up significantly. The Celtics were only down 10 with more than five minutes remaining, and the lead shrank even more after a Thunder timeout when Jayson Tatum caught a lob layup.
Over the next 4.5 minutes, the Thunder scored just three field goals, but a few were big ones: two back-breaking 3-pointers by Holmgren.
