Boston Celtics Get Throttled by Thunder

Olynyk returns for Celtics, but Thunder stars shine bright at TD Garden.

Anytime the Oklahoma City Thunder invade a team’s home court it is imperative that they contain perennial All-NBA selections Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. Brad Stevens would surely say this is easier said than done.

The Celtics are one of the league’s best defensive teams, and would need to flex those defensive muscles to get a win against a dangerous Thunder squad on Wednesday at TD Garden. After seeing their season high 14 game home winning streak snapped last week, the Celtics looked to start a new streak against Oklahoma City.

The game started unsurprisingly with Durant and Westbrook playing their aggressive style of offense. Durant hit his first three shots and the two superstars looked like they could cause major problems for the Celtics. After seeing his team run out to a 12 point deficit early, Celtics coach Brad Stevens called a much needed timeout.

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Later in the quarter the Celtics were able to chisel into the lead, and the TD Garden erupted as Avery Bradley made a short jumper to cut the deficit to just two. Thunder coach Billy Donovan responded by reinserting Durant, who quickly stabilized. The Celtics trailed 35-30 after the first period.

The second quarter was evidence of the Celtics lack of bench and secondary scoring, as the Thunder were able to build the lead to 14 points. Without the services of Jae Crowder for the second straight game, the Celtics struggled to find a reliable scoring option outside of point guard Isaiah Thomas.

Brad Stevens would have loved to extinguish the lead while Westbrook and Durant got some rest on the bench, but it was the reserve unit of Oklahoma City that took advantage. Dion Waiters and Enes Kanter gave the Thunder a huge spark off of the bench, and gave their team an 11 point halftime lead.

The first half saw the much needed return of Celtics forward Kelly Olynyk. After missing the last few weeks with a shoulder injury, slightly rusty Olynyk gave the Celtics five points off the bench in the first half on Wednesday.

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The second half followed a very similar narrative as the first, and the Thunder continued to show why they are considered a title contender. Boston made a few small runs in the third quarter, mostly on the back of Isaiah Thomas, but were not able to score and defend consistently.

The Celtics trailed by a score of 108-81 going into the fourth quarter, a lead that even the Oklahoma City Thunder can hold. The Thunder, since the All-Star break, are in the bottom three in both offense and defense in the fourth quarter, but the substantial lead on Wednesday was too large for the Celtics to overcome.