The Boston Celtics were severely shorthanded for Thursday's road game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, missing Jayson Tatum, Derrick White and Nikola Vucevic.
And yet, they still nearly beat the defending champions.
The depleted Celtics battled all night and almost pulled off the upset, going up by a dozen at one point and taking a lead into the fourth quarter. However, their offense finally went cold against the Thunder's stifling defense, managing just 19 points in the fourth and allowing Oklahoma City to rally for a 104-102 victory.
Chet Holmgren sank the game-winning free throws for the Thunder with 0.8 seconds left, sealing Boston's fate. It was a surprising outcome for the Celtics, who finished with more 3-pointers, free throws, rebounds and steals.
This is weird to say, but stay with me here... that might've been the most impressive 0-2 stretch I've ever witnessed from the Celtics. Those were two incredibly competitive games against the top two teams in the West, all while severely undermanned. Pretty encouraging stuff.
— Marc D'Amico (@Marc_DAmico) March 13, 2026
After getting ejected against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday, Jaylen Brown bounced back with 34 points, seven assists and six rebounds, stepping up in Tatum's absence and playing every minute in the second half. His 40 minutes were his most since Jan. 23.
Brown did his best Shai Gilgeous-Alexander impression with 14 free-throw attempts, his most in a game since Dec. 15. His 34 points were his most since Jan. 17 as he rose to the occasion and battled fellow MVP candidate Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with 35 points and broke Wilt Chamberlain's NBA record for most consecutive games with at least 20 points.
Payton Pritchard, Baylor Scheierman and Hugo Gonzalez also scored in double figures for Boston, but it wasn't enough.
After going 1-2 on their tough road trip this week, the Celtics will look to bounce back at home against the tanking Washington Wizards on Saturday.
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