The first couple minutes of this game really previewed how this contest was going to go as the Boston Celtics quickly came out of the gates with a 13-0 lead. The writing was on the wall for this game as the Celtics entered Monday with the second-best record in 2022 at 27-9, meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder have now lost ten consecutive games. So this game turning out to be a 132-123 loss for the Thunder should not shock many.
For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown led the way as the star duo combined for 61 points. This game also marked the return of Al Horford to Oklahoma City for the first time since being on the team last season.
Overall, this was a textbook loss for the Thunder. The Celtics led by double digits most of the game and led by as much as 26 points. But the Thunder were able to make things interesting in the end as it outscored the Celtics, 39-24, in the fourth quarter. Ultimately, the lead was too big for the Thunder to overcome in a single quarter.
Now that doesn’t mean there weren’t some positives to take away from this game for the Thunder. The second quarter featured Tre Mann having another 20-point quarter for the second time in three games while the fourth quarter featured Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 13 points as both finished with 30-point performances. This was a very encouraging win as the Thunder turned a boring blowout loss to a competitive and fun finish. With that said, let’s take a look at player grades.