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Tim BontempsMar 13, 2025, 12:41 AM ET
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- Tim Bontemps is a senior NBA creator for ESPN.com who covers the league and what is impacting it off and on the courtroom, together with industry time limit intel, enlargement and his MVP Straw Polls. You’ll be able to in finding Tim along Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon on The Hoop Collective podcast.
BOSTON — The Oklahoma Town Thunder clinched a playoff berth Wednesday night time.
However merely returning to the playoffs, after final season’s heartbreaking loss to the Dallas Mavericks in six video games within the Western Convention semifinals, is some distance from the function. As a substitute, the Thunder have their eyes on a larger prize: the franchise’s first NBA championship.
So, quite than clinching that playoff berth, what mattered to Thunder guard and NBA MVP front-runner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was once that they did it via beating the protecting champion Boston Celtics at TD Lawn.
Doing so finished a sweep of the two-game season collection towards Boston and despatched the loudest message but in regards to the intentions of Gilgeous-Alexander and the remainder of the Thunder for the months forward.
“It is large,” Gilgeous-Alexander mentioned of the 118-112 win, after striking up 34 issues, 5 rebounds and seven assists in 39 mins. “As a result of [the Celtics have] achieved it, as a result of they have achieved what we are seeking to do, the video games towards them are all the time going to be heightened. They are all the time going to be somewhat bit extra thrilling. They, like I mentioned, accomplished what we’re seeking to accomplish, and there is not any higher check within the NBA.
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“You play for overdue June, and the opposite staff had received overdue June. So enjoying towards them is all the time a laugh, all the time a in point of fact large problem and one thing that we get to check ourselves towards them. I assume we handed two assessments up to now.”
Now not simplest did the Thunder go the ones assessments with flying colours, however they received each video games towards the Celtics with key gamers sitting out. In January, it was once ahead Chet Holmgren who was once observing in side road garments as a result of a hip harm. Holmgren was once again starring for Oklahoma Town on Wednesday night time with 23 issues and 15 rebounds, whilst All-Famous person Jalen Williams was once again house nursing a hip pressure he suffered in Monday’s loss to Denver.
However Oklahoma Town overcame each his and Alex Caruso’s (sickness) absences with a an identical appearing to the primary assembly between those groups two months in the past. In that contest, Boston struggled in the second one part, going 8-for-40 from the sphere and 3-for-24 on 3-pointers.
On this recreation, the Celtics, who performed with out Kristaps Porzingis (sickness), had been purple scorching from 2-point vary — they shot 15-for-19 within the arc in the second one part, together with an excellent 13-for-13 on pictures within the paint — however had been simply 20-for-63 general from 3-point vary.
The ones 63 tried 3s tied the 3rd maximum in a recreation via any staff in NBA historical past.
“I believed we were given superb seems to be,” Celtics trainer Joe Mazzulla mentioned. “I imply, that is simply the shell in their protection. They offer protection to the paint first. They try, they are trying to get out, their 2-on-1 reads had been in point of fact just right. So I believed we generated somewhat nice seems to be during lots of the recreation.”
The numbers endure that out. In keeping with 2d Spectrum’s monitoring knowledge, Boston tried 47 catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, the Celtics’ 2d maximum in a recreation in franchise historical past.
Within the first part, Boston went 11-for-27 on the ones pictures. In the second one? The Celtics had been simply 4-for-20, completing 21% under their anticipated box function share on the ones pictures.
Chet Holmgren, who ignored January’s assembly with the Celtics in OKC whilst sidelined with a hip harm, submit 23 issues and 15 rebounds Wednesday night time, his highest-scoring recreation since returning. Brian Babineau/NBAE by means of Getty Photographs
On Monday towards the Nuggets, Oklahoma Town shot 20% over its anticipated box function share on 3-point makes an attempt, according to ESPN Analysis, which is why Thunder trainer Mark Daigneault mentioned his message to his staff whilst it were given off to a scorching get started from 3 was once to keep on with the sport plan.
“Our talent to simply more or less keep it up and now not overreact, now not begin to get jumpy … that is whilst you in point of fact get in hassle towards them,” Daigneault mentioned. “So I simply concept our adulthood, our self-discipline to the sport plan in the course of the ups and downs of a difficult 48-minute recreation was once a in point of fact certain factor for us this night.”
So was once the play of Holmgren. With Williams out, there was once a focus on how the Thunder would organize the mins Gilgeous-Alexander spends at the bench. They did so via turning to their two-big lineup of Isaiah Hartenstein and Holmgren, and Oklahoma Town received the 9 mins Gilgeous-Alexander sat out via 3 issues, largely because of Holmgren’s spectacular appearing, his highest-scoring recreation since coming back from his hip harm final month.
“Chet was once in point of fact just right this night,” Gilgeous-Alexander mentioned. “He was once spectacular. We are going to see him get increasingly more relaxed because the video games cross on, however he was once particular.
“He simply performed his recreation, and he let the sport come to him, and that’s the reason who Chet Holmgren is. That is who he was once prior to the harm.”
Boston’s Jayson Tatum had a very good recreation, going for 33 issues, 8 rebounds and eight assists, however its 2d megastar, Jaylen Brown, by no means were given going. Brown completed 5-for-15, together with 0-for-5 from 3, prior to fouling out with greater than 3 mins ultimate with 10 issues.
“You play for overdue June, and the opposite staff had received overdue June. So enjoying towards them is all the time a laugh, all the time a in point of fact large problem and one thing that we get to check ourselves towards them.” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
He credited Oklahoma Town’s protection with taking him out of his rhythm.
“Harder staff units the foundations,” Brown mentioned. “That they had a just right degree of physicality this night, and I might be extra bodily. I may just use my frame extra, I settled in some spots, however I did not meet the extent of physicality this night. I had no unfastened throw makes an attempt, and that’s the reason abnormal.”
Boston gamers walked out in their area Wednesday night time figuring out that in the event that they face Oklahoma Town once more in a couple of months within the NBA Finals, they are going to accomplish that having been harm via deficient taking pictures in the second one part of each losses.
However Gilgeous-Alexander, when requested many times about whether or not the Thunder had been enjoying at a championship degree at this time, mentioned they’ve an extended method to cross to reach its targets this season. And Tatum, for his phase, is not occupied with the place Boston sits, both.
“Everyone has to play somewhat bit higher,” he mentioned. “Higher on the margins, the little issues. You might be enjoying towards contending groups that aren’t in point of fact going to overcome themselves. And the little issues, be sure to get the 3-for-2, now not fouling bounce shooters on the finish of the clock, reside ball turnovers, such things as that, you simply were given to be somewhat bit higher on.
“All of us do. And we will be able to.”
