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Key Moment
The Oklahoma City Thunder clapped early against the Boston Celtics Saturday night, building up a double-digit first-half lead. But the C’s clapped back when it mattered most, as they went on a 19-0 run at the start of the fourth quarter, lighting their way to a 111-94 victory.
OKC entered the final frame with a four-point lead, but in a matter of five minutes, Boston turned that into a 15-point advantage of its own.
Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart combined for the first four points of the run, helping the Celtics to tie the game at 82-82. Then, newcomer Luke Kornet broke the game open, as he knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers just minutes after checking in for his Celtics debut.
Kornet and Tatum provided the bulk of the scoring for the massive run, combining for 14 points in a span of less than four minutes. The Thunder, meanwhile, didn’t score their first basket of the quarter until the 6:19 mark. By then, Boston was already ahead 95-82, and it never looked back en route to a 17-point win.
Key Player
The Celtics had a slow start Saturday night, but Payton Pritchard kept them in the game. The rookie point guard came off the bench and tallied 12 points during the first quarter and a half, which was a major boost considering how Boston’s starters had only combined for 10 points up to that moment.
Pritchard didn’t score again after that point, but he impacted the game in other ways, such as on the glass where he corralled a career-high seven rebounds.
He also dished out two assists, snagged one steal, and made six of his 10 field-goal attempts, all in 23 minutes of action.
Box Score Nuggets
- Jayson Tatum led all scorers with 27 points, followed closely by Jaylen Brown with 25 points.
- Moses Brown had a monster night for OKC, logging 21 points and 23 rebounds.
- Robert Williams also had a strong night on the boards, corralling 14 rebounds.
- The Celtics had a 52-50 edge on the glass.
- Boston outscored the Thunder 35-14 during the fourth quarter.
- Carsen Edwards and Payton Pritchard led Boston's second-unit scoring effort with 12 points apiece.
- Aaron Nesmith logged a game-best plus-24 in just 16 mintues of action.
- Boston outscored OKC 56-40 inside the paint.
- The Celtics led by as many as 18 points after trailing by as many as 12.
Quote of the Night
Marcus Smart on returning home for a seven-game homestand.