Kristaps Porzingis knew it was bad – but didn’t realize it was that bad.
“Twenty-seven [points] in the whole half?” he asked surprisingly before whistling in acknowledgment of the poor performance.
That’s right. The Celtics managed just 27 points in the second half—setting a new low for any team this season—on 8-of-40 shooting (20.0%) from the field and a woeful 3-of-24 (12.5%) from beyond the arc, ultimately falling to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 105-92.
“In the first half, we were fine,” Porzingis said. “Once they turned it up a little bit in the second, we played stupid, and we just gave some possessions away. Once you start giving up possessions like that, it was just downhill for us. The rest of the time was battling uphill.”
Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Payton Pritchard, and Sam Hauser were all held scoreless, combining to shoot 0-of-19. In fact, the Celtics had more turnovers (10) than made field goals (8) in the second half, marking their lowest-scoring half since 2012.
“They took advantage of our poor spacing and our poor screening. I think those are the two biggest things,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said when asked what went wrong after the game. “Obviously, they upped the pressure a little bit. Seventeen points off turnovers and multiple, multiple empty possessions with poor spacing.”
The Celtics struggled in the third quarter, managing only 15 points, but the fourth quarter was even worse. They scored a season-low 12 points, shooting just 3-of-18 (16.7%). It was their first time scoring 12 or fewer points in a quarter since January 2021.
Despite putting up 65 points in the first half, Boston finished with a season-low 92, having not scored below 104 all season. It also marked the first time since October 1968 that the Celtics failed to reach 100 points after scoring at least 65 in the first half.
For the Thunder, it was the 16th time this season they held an opponent under 100 points, the most such games in the league.
“They’re a really good team, and it’s always a good test to play against high-level teams,” Kristaps Porzingis said. “This kind of win is just going to give them more confidence. So it’s not good, but we will have another opportunity later in the season.”
That confidence should be high. Even with a franchise-record 15-game win streak—including victories over eight teams with winning records—this matchup against the reigning champions carried extra weight. For a young team with championship aspirations, it was a statement: they can compete with the league’s best. That message came through loud and clear in a win that could easily be a preview of the NBA Finals.
“They’ve done things we’ve dreamt about doing,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “There is no way to get there without playing and competing against teams like that.”
“We have great respect for that team because of how impactful they are. How hard they are to beat,” added head coach Mark Daigneault. “What they’ve accomplished. What they’ve endured to accomplish that. That’s a team that is battle-tested. That’s battle-tested together. And they’ve formed into a great team. So, to test ourselves in that way against that team, we love that challenge.”
Oklahoma City certainly benefited from a nightmare shooting night from the Celtics, who hit just 9-of-46 from three, shooting a season-low 19.6% from beyond the arc. It marked the first time under Joe Mazzulla that Boston shot below 20% from deep.
But make no mistake—this win was about more than Boston’s struggles. The Thunder were without Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso, yet still took down a fully healthy Celtics team. It’s no wonder the Thunder are second only to Boston as title favorites this season.
“OKC is rolling right now,” Brown said. “We had an opportunity to come on their home floor and get a W. I thought in the first half, we executed well. The second half, just not good enough.”
The Thunder play a fast, physical brand of basketball, driven by their young talent. With an average player age of 24.1, they’re the youngest team in the NBA this season. Their hard-nosed style is reflected in their hustle stats, with 12 deflections and 11 steals on defense.
Led by an MVP front-runner in Gilgeous-Alexander, this team is the real deal. Boston’s shooting woes aside, this was a well-earned win for the Thunder—a team that’s growing more dangerous by the day.
“When we were those guys, we were looking for those matchups, so it makes sense to be on the other side of it now,” Brown said. “And it’s a long journey. We’re navigating the ups and downs of the season. We have to be better and continue to grow in spots and focus on us.”
Teams like the Thunder want to be where the Celtics are – champions. They’re emulating some of the things that work for Boston while turning up the intensity. Oklahoma City brought that toughness and physicality from the very first possession, with Jalen Williams nearly forcing a turnover with a deflection. The Thunder maintained that physicality for all 48 minutes, even when trailing, while for the Celtics, it waned – badly.
The Celtics know they’re getting everyone’s best shot every night, especially from young, hungry teams like OKC. With that comes the physicality and aggressiveness, something the Celtics have proven they can handle, but at times, it can dwindle throughout a game – and that’s not going to fly come the postseason or in these big matchups with other title contenders.
“We knew what to expect,” said Jayson Tatum. “That’s like the third game in a row now. We’ve played against Houston and Minnesota, three teams that are scrappy, active with their hands, and things like that.”
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