Win streak snapped as Celtics edge Thunder 112-111

Marcus Smart swiped the ball away from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 5.8 seconds left and Boston leading 111-108 to seal a Celtics victory.

Oklahoma City had their four-game winning streak snapped on Sunday afternoon, falling 112-111 to the Boston Celtics.

Marcus Smart made the play of the game for the Celtics, stripping Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 5.8 seconds left on the clock in a three point game.

The Thunder were forced to foul and Kemba Walker hit one of the two ensuing free throws. The one ended up being the difference-maker as Chris Paul hit at 3 at the buzzer, but it was not enough to overcome the deficit.

Paul was one of four players for Oklahoma City in double-digits.

Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari each had 24 while Paul and Dennis Schroder scored 22 apiece.

Steven Adams scored just four points, but he pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds.

OKC head coach Billy Donovan told ESPN he thought his team played well but couldn’t finish when they needed to.

“I thought our guys really, really competed and played,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. “We weren’t able to finish well enough in some crucial situations.”

Hamidou Diallo saw the court for the first time this week. He had seen his playing time reduced after Terrance Ferguson returned on Feb. 3 after an eight-game absence. He played 13 minutes and scored two points.

Ferguson came off the bench for Lu Dort, who struggled with foul trouble against Boston and played just 12 minutes.

Darius Bazley was injured in the first half. He stepped awkwardly while driving to the lane with under a minute to play in the first quarter. He left the game to go to the locker room. The Thunder announced after the half that it was a right knee sprain and that he would not return.

Oklahoma City wraps up their four-game home stand when they host the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. C.T.