Wednesday night was a massive game for both the Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Celtics were coming off a brutal home loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves and needed a win to hold the second seed in the Eastern Conference over the New York Knicks. They also needed to prove they could beat a championship contender after struggling against elite teams all season.
Meanwhile, the Thunder needed a win to maintain some breathing room over the red-hot San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference.
It was the defending champs who threw the first punch at TD Garden, ending the first quarter with an 11-point lead on the road. Boston kept chipping away, however, before surging ahead in the second half, emerging with a hard-fought 119-109 victory to snap Oklahoma City's 12-game winning streak.
.@Joe_Sway on the Celtics win vs the Thunder:
"I mean this is a statement win if you ask me. I mean, it's not one of those games where you say, 'oh man the Thunder just didn't have it tonight.' I just think it just executed the game plan to an extent that the Thunder wasn't… pic.twitter.com/BU0NRiPanW
— The Garden Report on CLNS (@TheGardenReport) March 26, 2026
After the game, Thunder reporter Josue Pavon called it a "statement win" for the Celtics on "The Garden Report."
"This is a statement win if you ask me. I mean, it's not one of those games where you say, 'Oh man, the Thunder just didn't have it tonight.' I just think it just executed the game plan to an extent that the Thunder wasn't ready for," Pavon said.
Boston bounced back from its two-point road loss to Oklahoma City a few weeks ago, splitting its season series with the best team in basketball. Both teams are expected to win their respective conferences, so this game was the equivalent of a heavyweight prize fight.
If these teams do meet again this season, it will be in June with a championship on the line.
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