Key Moment
Jaylen Brown was having a rough night against the Thunder before his minute-plus stretch that completely changed the game early in the fourth quarter. Brown took over at both ends as the mastermind of a 7-0 run that turned an 11-point lead into an 18-point lead with 9:12 remaining in the game.
The star forward initiated the run by canning a fadeaway jumper before picking off a pass at the other end that led to a loud, transition slam that pushed Boston ahead by 15. That dunk also brought the crowd to its feet, which only added to Boston’s momentum.
Seconds later, Brown did it again at the defensive end, again while defending Wallace. He cornered Wallace in the left corner of the court and forced a second turnover in just 31 seconds. Brown followed that up with an assist to Jrue Holiday for a 3-pointer that blew the lead open to 18 points.
Brown wound up scoring 15 points during the fourth quarter to help the Celtics run away from the Thunder for an easy win. Boston pulled ahead by as many as 35 points, which doubled as the final margin amid a 135-100 victory. That convincing win secured the top overall seed in the NBA Playoffs.
Key Player
Kristaps Porzingis is back and better than ever. Two nights after scoring 20 points on only 10 shots against Charlotte, the big man was somehow even more efficient against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Porzingis finished Wednesday’s matchup with 27 points and he needed only 14 shots to get there. So, yet another game during which he scored nearly two points per shot attempt, which is an accomplishment that is rarely attained in the NBA by bulk shooters.
The big man finished the night having canned 11 of his 14 shots from the field. He was perfect from long distance (3-for-3) and perfect from the free-throw line (2-for-2), all while not committing a single turnover. That’s teetering on offensive perfection.
His dominant play certainly didn’t stop in the scoring column, either. Porzingis also blocked five shots for his second-highest total of the season, and that total matched that of Oklahoma City’s entire team. Porzingis also grabbed a steal on defense, all while leading the game with 12 rebounds and dishing out four assists.
Box Score Nuggets
- Seven Celtics scored between 11 and 27 points, led by 27 from Kristaps Porzingis.
- Jayson Tatum (24 points) and Jaylen Brown (23 points) also broke the 20-point barrier.
- Al Horford scored 16 points to notch his highest total of the season during games in which he came off the bench.
- Horford led the game in plus/minus rating at plus-32, while Jrue Holiday was right behind him at plus-31.
- Boston trailed for only 61 seconds of the game, all during the first quarter.
- The Celtics totaled 33 assists, led by eight from Payton Pritchard.
- Porzingis led the game with 12 rebounds and blocked as many shots (five) as Oklahoma City's entire team.
- Luguentz Dort led OKC with 15 points.
- Boston outscored OKC 27-11 in second-chance points, and 21-11 in fast break points.
Quote of the Night
"Mostly, it's starting to turn up a little bit more. Understanding that we have the Playoffs soon, I want to be at the best - the best moment - for the Playoffs and just getting into that mindset."
– Kristaps Porzingis on why his block numbers have increased of late