Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dominates as the Thunder fall late to Boston
By Ivan White
The Oklahoma City Thunder lost a tight game against the Celtics in Boston 125-122. The Celtics played from behind for the majority of the night before making a run in the second half to secure a victory. OKC entered the fourth quarter leading by seven but was unable to hold on to that advantage.
Oklahoma City started strong but struggled to finish in Boston
The first quarter saw the Thunder get out to an early advantage as they looked to set the tone for the night. Using their hot offense, the Thunder rattled off a 69-point first half. OKC’s offense flowed and put the team in a great position to take down the reigning eastern conference champs.
OKC used the beginning stages of the third quarter to build on its lead to as much as 15. Boston responded with a run to close the quarter, cutting the lead in half. A Payton Pritchard transition layup at the buzzer furthered the Celtics’ momentum going into the quarter break.
The Thunder maintained their lead to start off the fourth quarter, but Boston stormed back to take the lead with just under six minutes to go. The teams traded blows over the course of the next few minutes. With the game tied at 115 with just under two minutes remaining, Marcus Smart rose up and drained a three to put Boston ahead. Then Derrick White nailed a three on the next possession to put the game out of reach and give the Celtics their seventh win in a row.