For the second straight game, the Boston Celtics met a Western Conference powerhouse and came up short. Thursday, they fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 104-102, after a Payton Pritchard heave came up short at the buzzer.
Here's what stood out:
The Celtics can compete with the best
I'm writing this part with 50.6 seconds remaining in regulation. The game is tied at 100. Regardless of what happens in the next 50 seconds, the Celtics have proven that they can compete with the league's best.
First Tuesday's strong showing against the Spurs, now this. Down two starters (as were the Thunder), Boston was in the game with the league's best team, record-wise, until the very end.
Moral victories aren't fun, but sometimes they're a necessary step in the greater process.
The lights weren’t too bright for the Celtics’ other guys
Boston’s depth was put to the test on Thursday with Jayson Tatum, Nikola Vucevic, and Derrick White resting in Oklahoma City. The absence of the two stars meant more minutes for the likes of Hugo Gonzalez, Ron Harper Jr., Jordan Walsh, and Luka Garza.
Every single one of these guys had a stretch or moment where they left a lasting impression on this game.
Harper Jr., who was coming off of a career-high heading into this one, helped the Cs keep pace with the reigning champs early one with five first-quarter points. He had a crafty drive to the cup capped off with a tough finish through traffic, plus a nice catch-and-shoot triple. Not to mention that he gave Boston a great effort on defense -- something he’s shown a knack for in his minutes this season.
Walsh played his most impactful shift in a while. He added eight points off the bench for the Celtics, including a pair of triples. It may sound minor, but the way that OKC committed to sending help at Jaylen Brown, Boston needed all of the perimeter shooting they could get to help space the floor.
Garza’s second-half start over Neemias Queta tells you what you need to know about his effort in this game. Like Walsh, his shooting ability was necessary to combat the Thunder’s help defense. On top of that, the motor he plays with on a nightly basis made him a perfect fit for this game.
As for Gonzalez, this was an incredible showing for the rookie. He got himself going early by sprinting the floor in transition to create easy looks for himself. A catch-and-shoot triple brought his point total to nine by halftime. His second-half impact spanned beyond scoring.
Hugo was simply everywhere. He hit the offensive glass in timely spots, played disruptive defense with two steals and a block, and looked like he belonged on the floor against the team with the best record in the league. It was his name that was called to check in and guard SGA with 36 seconds left, before a set of screens changed the coverage.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander loves a pump fake
There is no statistic to help me quantify this for you, so I will simply share a trend that I noticed during Thursday’s Celtics vs. Thunder game. The reigning MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, sure does love himself a pumpfake.
Like, every single time he creates space from his defender, he’s going to do his best to trick that player into thinking he’s about to shoot the ball. Probably nine times out of 10, he’s just looking to create an opportunity to draw a foul.
Just for clarity, I’m not trying to discredit his shot-making ability or any of his scoring statistics. It takes a tremendous amount of skill to be able to subconsciously decide whether or not to take advantage of a chance to score. Being that good at basketball is so hard that the average person like you or me can’t even fathom it.
To the Celtics’ credit, they did a good enough job of staying disciplined on these pump fakes that I was able to catch onto this trend. It looks pretty silly when SGA is just standing there confused that his shot fake didn’t do anything for him.