MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (right) is averaging 32.7 points a game and shooting 52.5 percent from the field for the Thunder.
MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (right) is averaging 32.7 points a game and shooting 52.5 percent from the field for the Thunder.Nate Billings/Associated Press
There aren’t too many significant games left for the Celtics in the regular season and Wednesday’s showdown with the Oklahoma City Thunder may be the most significant.
[The Celtics played a three stellar quarters in early January in Oklahoma before falling apart in the fourth quarter and losing, 105-92](https://Jayson Tatum, Al Horford well rested for Celtics’ showdown with league-leading Thunder "https://Jayson Tatum, Al Horford well rested for Celtics’ showdown with league-leading Thunder"). Since then, the Thunder have seized the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and are 23-7, coming off a home loss to the Denver Nuggets on Monday.
There’s a reason why Jayson Tatum rested Monday against the Utah Jazz, same for Al Horford. The Celtics want to be at full strength for this matchup because it will serve as a litmus test for their progress and playoff preparation.
After Wednesday, the Celtics have only two games left against teams with hopes of competing for the NBA Finals, a March 31 matchup at Memphis and an April 8 game at the New York Knicks. This may be the final opportunity to see how the Celtics fare against another legitimate title contender and their memories of that January game have to be fresh.
Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault switched defensive ace Luguentz Dort onto Jaylen Brown, who burned the Thunder with 21 first-half points. In the second half, Brown was 0 for 7 with no points and two turnovers. What’s more, the Celtics made just eight shots and scored 27 points in the second half, completely stymied by the Thunder’s defense.
The Celtics started their preferred starting lineup but the issue was the bench, which was outscored 27-13 by its counterparts and made just two field goals in the second half. Boston could be without Kristaps Porzingis, who has missed the past six games with an undisclosed illness and is listed as doubtful for Wednesday.
And this may be one of the few games the Celtics play close to their regular starting lineup before the season ends. Brown, listed as probable with right knee soreness, has been battling lower extremity injuries the past few weeks.
Tatum is listed as questionable but it’s difficult to envision he would miss a nationally televised showdown against fellow MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Gilgeous-Alexander is the front-runner for the award, averaging 32.7 points and making 52.5 percent of his shots.
“It’s going to be a fun game,” Celtics guard Derrick White said. “Obviously they’re playing really well this season and got a lot of great players on that team. It’s going to be a fun challenge. They’re going to be ready so we’ve got to be ready to match that and let’s get a win.”
The Celtics may not face a better defense for the remainder of the season, especially with Oklahoma City’s physicality. There could be some material for the Celtics to study in Denver’s win on Monday. The Nuggets shot 60.5 percent from the field and were 18 for 32 from the 3-point line.
What’s been encouraging for the Celtics are they have received career shooting nights from White, Payton Pritchard, and Sam Hauser over the past week. The Celtics are obviously more dangerous when they don’t have to depend solely on Tatum and Brown.
And when teams are daring Tatum and Brown to drive and score, they have been capitalizing of late. The Celtics are becoming more offensively versatile because they have to be. Some teams are forcing Tatum and Brown to make plays because they don’t want White, Pritchard, Hauser, and Horford to shoot open threes.
Look for the Thunder to come out with a variety of defenses, which will be a welcome challenge for Joe Mazzulla. The rest of the schedule doesn’t possess the defensive challenges and the club will review the roster and who needs rest to ensure the Celtics clinch the No. 2 seed and are completely healthy for the postseason run.
“I trust in them, I trust in the sports science team to understand how to go about it,” Mazzulla said of the final 17 games and resting veterans. “And the same time making sure we do what’s best to win and what’s best for them. We rely on the entire camp and the people around, the players, the training staff. What gives us the best chance to win, what gives us to be at our best as well.”
It should be one last thrilling night at TD Garden and an opportunity for the Celtics to see how they measure up against perhaps the league’s best team. They faltered late against the Cleveland Cavaliers without two starters, but this time they’ll be close to whole with Tatum and Horford coming off three days’ rest.
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.