As Jayson Tatum stood near midcourt with the ball pinned against his hip, the TD Garden crowd rose to its feet and roared while the final seconds ticked off a 119-109 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Jaylen Brown walked over, and the two bumped fists twice before tapping each other on the chest.
It was a familiar sight: Tatum and Brown on the right side of a big win. And in this case, it might have been the biggest one of the 2025-26 season for the Boston Celtics.
Despite sitting second in the Eastern Conference since January, being 20 games above .500 since the beginning of March, and ranking in the top 10 in offensive rating (second), defensive rating (fourth), and net rating (7.8), questions about the Celtics’ legitimacy as a true title contender have lingered because of their struggles against the NBA’s elite.
They are 1-2 against the Knicks and finished the season series 1-3 against the Pistons, the two teams many view as Boston’s biggest threats in the East. Against the five Western Conference teams with the highest point differential — Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Denver, Houston, and Minnesota — they entered Wednesday just 1-8.
Hosting a Thunder team that holds the best record in the NBA, had won 12 straight and 17 of its last 19, and had its full rotation available for one of the first times all season, the Celtics had a chance to quiet some of that outside noise against top competition.
Behind their two stars, they did exactly that.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MARCH 25: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics reacts to a foul called against him during the second half of the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at TD Garden on March 25, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics defeat the Thunder 119-109. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Brown scored 31 points (9-of-17 FG), dished out a game-high eight assists, and added eight rebounds and two steals. It marked Brown’s 33rd 30-point game this season, the most in the Eastern Conference.
Tatum finished with 19 points (5-of-12 FG), a game-high 12 rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and recorded his first block of the season. It marked his fifth double-double of the season.
All told, they combined for 50 points (the Thunder starters had 70), 15 assists (the Thunder as a team had 17), 20 rebounds (matching the total of OKC’s starters), and five steals (the Thunder as a team had seven).
“I think that game was awesome,” Jaylen Brown said. “One, the intensity level of the game was very high. It felt like a playoff game. The crowd was into the game. And I felt like that was a great, encouraging game for JT. High-level, intense, physical team. And it felt like that was a step in the right direction. We’re still encouraging him to get back to that level of aggression that we know and are used to, but I think tonight was a great game of him making the right plays, making the right reads, being physical, and being Jayson Tatum.”
It was a step in the right direction for Tatum, who, given the quality of the opponent and the nature of the game, delivered his best performance in the nine games he has played since returning from his Achilles injury. It was also a step in the right direction for the Celtics, who showed they can compete with anyone in the NBA when their two stars are healthy and available.
“That was a well-needed win. I really wanted that win,” said Brown. “We needed that. We know that we can play with anybody, but when you get a win on your home floor against the team that has the best record in the league, it feels good. Especially after dropping a game, I feel like we should’ve won against Minnesota. So it’s very encouraging, and it’s a step to build in the right direction. Obviously, there are still going to be some ups and downs; we’re still working some kinks out, getting our flow. We’ve got 10 games left, and we need each one of them to kind of build up and get ready for the playoffs. But today was a very huge step for us.”
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MARCH 25: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics takes a shot over Luguentz Dort #5 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter at TD Garden on March 25, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
At times, those bumps in the road have been evident, and that’s to be expected when reintegrating a player of Tatum’s caliber at this stage of the season. Still, the Celtics have continued to find ways to win, improving to 7-2 with Tatum in the lineup this season and 7-1 when Tatum and Brown are both available from start to finish.
Progress isn’t linear. That applies to both Tatum and his recovery, as well as the team as a whole. But a win like Wednesday night’s shows what this team can be against the best of the best when its two pillars are healthy, which should instill confidence when discussing this team’s chances of playing in June, even if they all count the same right now.
“We’ve been a good team all season. We played against a really good team tonight, but they’re all worth one,” Tatum said. “Still a long way to go and we’ve still got ways to improve.”
Whenever Tatum and Brown share the floor, the Celtics are contenders. In their eight seasons together, they’ve reached the Conference Finals five times and have only suffered a first-round playoff exit once. As they continue to gel over the final weeks of the regular season, there’s every reason to believe they can return to that stage this spring.
