The Boston Celtics capped off their Western Conference road trip with a 132-123 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Boston started the game off strong, jumping out to an early 17-2 lead after just three minutes of play. The Celtics were able to build a 22-point lead by the midway point of the second quarter, but a flurry of three-pointers from Oklahoma City’s Tre Mann kept the Thunder within reach to end the half.
The second half saw Boston rebuild their lead, and maintain it for the large majority of the second half. A late push from the Thunder made things a bit more troubling than they needed to be. OKC guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander carved through the Boston defense with ease, something nobody has been able to do to them for months — likely due to the fact that the C’s were without Marcus Smart and Robert Williams.
The Celtics were able to knock down some free throws to weather the storm and hold on for a 9-point win and end their road trip a perfect 4-0.
Jayson Tatum was phenomenal for Boston, scoring 36 points after being named the Eastern Conference player of the week. The three-time all star also added seven rebounds and six assists.
The rest of the Celtics offense was well-balanced with Jaylen Brown, Grant Williams, Payton Pritchard, and Derrick White all scoring 18 points or more.
The Celtics will look to win their fifth straight as they return home to Boston and take on the Utah Jazz.