Thunger guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander smiling on a Boston city/TD Garden background next to a somewhat serious te Celtics' Jaylen Brown
Thunger guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander smiling on a Boston city/TD Garden background next to a somewhat serious te Celtics' Jaylen Brown
BOSTON — Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander prides himself on his consistency, which helps explain why he's one of the frontrunners for league MVP this season. And if he's been anything against the Boston Celtics, it's consistent.
On Wednesday night, the three-time All-Star dropped a game-high 34 points on the reigning champion Celtics. Behind this impressive performance, the Thunder took down the C's at TD Garden, 118-112, snapping Boston's five-game winning streak.
The Toronto native has now recorded at least 31 points in five consecutive showdowns with the Celtics. When asked about the challenges that come with guarding SGA, Celtics star Jaylen Brown confirmed that defending him is as hard as it looks.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander records his 5th straight game with 30+ points and 5+ assists against the Celtics, tied for the longest streak in NBA history 🔥
SGA's last 5 games vs. Boston:
34 points — 7 assists
33 points — 6 assists
36 points — 7 assists
37 points — 8 assists
31… pic.twitter.com/xllVuJh1Rl
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 13, 2025
“It's tough,” Brown admitted during his postgame press conference. “That boy good. You know what I mean? That boy is good. Big fan of his game. Shifty, crafty around the basket. Knows how to use his body well, draws fouls. He's been hitting the 3-ball well, too.”
The Thunder used their physicality to pummel the C's in the paint and draw lots of contact. Gilgeous-Alexander is especially masterful at driving into the fray, as he attacked the rim frequently and was rewarded with 11 free throw attempts.
“Definitely a guy that you watch and you study to be better if we end up playing him down the line,” Brown praised. “He's a tough cover. He's been playing some good basketball. You got to tip your cap.”
Jaylen Brown had to tip his cap to SGA after tonight’s loss:
“That boy is good…Definitely a guy that you watch and you study to be better if we end up playing him down the line, but now he's a tough cover.” pic.twitter.com/BRZfujebG1
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) March 13, 2025
Gilgeous-Alexander wasn't the only one taking multiple trips to the charity stripe. Seven different members of the Thunder visited the free throw line, combining for 35 free throw attempts (to Boston's 12).
Brown gifted the Thunder a few of those freebies. He even fouled out with 3:36 remaining in the fourth quarter, something he hasn't done since 2023. Shortly after, Celtics guard Derrick White fouled out for the first time in his career as well.
Jaylen Brown and the Celtics wouldn't use the referees as an excuse
Following the loss, Brown refused to blame the officiating. Instead, the reigning NBA Finals MVP focused on his team's lack of toughness.
“I mean, it was just one of those games,” he said. “I'm not even gonna blame the officiating or anything like that, just one of those games where we couldn't get anything going offensively or defensively. You know, maybe some tough calls that could've went the other way or not, but OKC was definitely the tougher team for a large stretch.”
Boston trailed Oklahoma City by as many as 12 points in the third quarter, but it kept battling. In fact, the game was tied at 98 with 8:12 left in the final frame. Then the Thunder rattled off an 8-0 run, capped off by a tough turnaround jumper from Gilgeous-Alexander, that essentially put victory out of reach for the Celtics with less than five minutes to go. The Green Team couldn't get the Thunder's lead under four points after that.
“Thought we had a good game plan,” Brown stated. “Just got to win those matchups. We didn't win them tonight. I didn't win mine tonight. So, that cost us the game.”
The Celtics' plan of attack involved a 3-point onslaught. In the first half, they launched 36 shots from beyond the arc, putting them on pace to break the record for the most 3-point attempts in a single game in NBA history. Boston cut down on its 3-point diet a bit in the second half, yet it still finished with 63 attempts from deep — tying the record for the most 3-point shots in a non-overtime contest.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla wasn't surprised by those historic numbers, especially since he thought his guys were generally finding the right shots versus a tough paint defense.
“I thought we got great looks,” he said. “I thought we got amazing looks. I mean, that's just the shell of [the Thunder's] defense. They protect the paint first.”
Ultimately, Boston hit 20 triples to Oklahoma City's 13. However, the Western Conference leaders shot better from the floor, won the war on the glass, and netted 15 more free throws. The Thunder are the first team to sweep the season series with the Celtics during the 2024-25 campaign.
“I give credit to OKC. Tougher team sets the rules,” Brown complimented. “I didn't meet the level of physicality tonight.”
Now at 47-19, the Celtics have already lost more games than last regular season when they went an incredible 64-18. Meanwhile, the Thunder are 54-12 and well on their way to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
There's been chatter about these two talented teams potentially meeting in the NBA Finals due to their stellar records and loaded rosters. And while it's still too early for either squad to be thinking about the last stop on the way to basketball immortality, Celtics star Jayson Tatum couldn't hide his excitement for the upcoming playoffs.
“[We're] getting ready for the fun part of all of this,” he said of the approaching postseason. “Should be a lot of fun, and excited to just be up for the challenge — whatever that may be.”