The OKC Thunder took on the 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics on Sunday, and it was a matchup for the ages. This was the first time the C's were held to under 100 points this season, finishing with a final score of 105-92.
The script for the Thunder remained very similar to the past two games against the Clippers and Knicks: They started slow, went down by double digits, and then executed an insane second-half comeback built on defense and fastbreak opportunities.
The final two periods brought possibly the greatest display of defensive basketball by Oklahoma City this season, as they limited this star-studded Celtics team to 27 points during the last 24 minutes of action.
From Dortorture chambers to MVP scoring levels, here are three studs and one dud from Sunday's comeback win!
Studs and duds from epic OKC Thunder win over Boston Celtics
Stud: Second half Luguentz Dort
Lu Dort finished as the hero of this game, but the first half of play was not what won this game. It was his play from the start of the second-half buzzer that sparked this comeback victory.
The Canadian enforcer finished this contest with 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting from long range, 6 rebounds, and 1 steal and block in this clash of the titans.
Dort would end up being the tone-setter for the defense, as he was tasked with guarding Jaylen Brown who had 21 points in the first 24 minutes. Brown would end up finishing the game with 21 points on the game as a whole, not scoring another bucket down the stretch.
Mark Daigneualt stated the reason that Brown struggled at the end was because “we moved Dort on him.” A solid game plan to stop any team's best scorer!
Stud: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Once again, no surprise Shai Gilgeous-Alexander once again finds himself on this list as a stud, finishing as the leading scorer on the court.
The superstar would prove the gap between him and Tatum, going for 33 points on 11-for-23 shooting along with 11 rebounds, and 5 stocks on the night.
The exact moment that showed Gilgeous-Alexander deserves to be viewed on a higher level than the Boston forward was when he pinned his transition dunk on the glass during the highly competitive final minutes of the fourth quarter.
WHAT A SEQUENCE FOR THE THUNDER 😱
— NBA (@NBA) January 5, 2025
SGA blocks it then lobs it up to Hartenstein!
CROWD BUZZING... OKC UP 9 ON NBA TV! pic.twitter.com/cTXCg6bkE1
He showed off his athleticism and elite defensive ability with this play and, frankly, throughout the entirety of his 39 minutes of action while simultaneously putting on an offensive masterclass against one of the league's top defenses headlined by future Hall of Famer, Jrue Holiday.
Dud: Kenrich Williams
Kenrich Williams is a personified definition of the word hustle. Too bad hustle does not always translate to positive outcomes.
He would make just one of his two shot attempts in 12 minutes of action and would not do much else in the game. It is starting to feel like Kenny has no place left on this team.
Yes, he is a great veteran leader, but can Caruso and Shai not do the same? The team has already shown everyone is willing to dive for loose balls. What they need is a long-range shooting threat off of a screen and for catch-and-shoot opportunities.
Williams will likely not be receiving the minutes necessary to do that come playoff time, but he could be the piece for a trade that would get the Thunder just what they need.
Stud: Aaron Wiggins
The man who saved basketball has squashed any rumors or thoughts of him being traded thanks to his recent uptick in production. Sunday served as a prime example!
Aaron Wiggins had yet another amazing performance for Oklahoma City, dropping 15 points off the bench in 20 minutes of action.
The wing is known to be a shot creator off the bench in the non-SGA minutes, though, to start the year, concerns grew over whether he could be entrusted as the go-to option to fill this role what with his lackluster shooting and inconsistent playing time.
Since his 17-point showing against the Hornets back on December 28, however, it appears he's put such fears to rest, as he's been posting averages of 13.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists while shooting 57.8 percent from the floor and 43.5 percent from deep over his last five outings.