Thunderous Intentions
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Grades: Thunder collapse allows Boston to steal a win

By Tony Heim

BOSTON, MA - MARCH 20: Carmelo Anthony
BOSTON, MA - MARCH 20: Carmelo Anthony /
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BOSTON, MA – MARCH 20: Carmelo Anthony #7 of the OKC Thunder reacts during a game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on March 20, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – MARCH 20: Carmelo Anthony #7 of the OKC Thunder reacts during a game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on March 20, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /

Best OKC Thunder Reserve

C. . PF. OKC Thunder. JERAMI GRANT

The Thunder’s bench was atrocious tonight. They combined for a grand total of 10 points as Billy Donovan opted to play his starters heavy minutes. Jerami Grant had 6 of those 10 points, but only played 10 minutes in an interesting move by Donovan (more on that in a bit). There’s really not much else to say here – Grant is featured here solely because I had to pick somebody.

Best Celtics Player

A+. . SF. Boston Celtics. JAYSON TATUM

Boston has something special in this kid. The OKC Thunder had no answer for the Celtics’ rookie as he dropped 23 points on 8-12 shooting from the field AND 4 assists. In his 35 minutes of action the Celtics outscored Oklahoma City by 22 points. Nobody, not even potential All-NBA defender Paul George, had an answer for the newly-turned 20-year old. Get ready to hear the name “Jayson Tatum” for the next 12-15 years.

Final Thoughts

  • The Thunder blew an opportunity to maintain a firm stranglehold of the 4th seed. Now they’re only a game ahead of the Pelicans and Spurs (both have the same number of losses), hence why this loss hurts even more.
  • Unless something magical happens in the Playoffs, Billy Donovan very much deserves to be fired. Playing Jerami Grant for only10 minutes is inexcusable. Flip-flopping between Terrance Ferguson, Alex Abrines and Josh Huestis with less than 10 games left doesn’t help this team prepare for the Playoffs. Allowing this talented team to not reach their full potential, however, is more than enough to put him on the hot seat.
  • Assuming they make it, I have no idea what to expect from this team in the Playoffs. None.

Next: Ranking OKC's preferred first round Playoff matchup

The Thunder are back in action Friday night when the Miami Heat visit Oklahoma City. In the meantime check out Thunderous Intentions daily as we keep you updated on the stretch-run of the season.

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