The battle between two of the best teams in the league, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Boston Celtics, at the Paycom Center tonight was highly anticipated. It ended up living up to the expectations for at least three quarters. In the final seconds, the Oklahoma City Thunder had a comfortable lead and won the game 105-92. After the game, Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown expressed his disappointment with the team’s showing.
Brown was reminded by a reporter that the Celtics players were very vocal about the importance of this game. They wanted to win it against a team that now has a 15-game winning streak to make a statement. Brown said that in the first half, they felt like it was an attainable goal. However, things changed after the half-time break.
He said, “OKC is rolling right now. We had an opportunity to kind of come on their home floor, get a W. Thought in the first half we executed well. Second half, just not good enough.”
By the end of the first half, the Celtics had a 10-point lead over the OKC. They were looking comfortable on both ends of the floor and it seemed like the game was headed their way.
Jaylen Brown asked about the significance of this game:
“OKC is rolling right now. We had an opportunity to kind of come on their home floor, get a W. Thought in the first half we executed well. Second half, just not good enough.” pic.twitter.com/5OUn8nasZ7
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) January 5, 2025
The Thunder managed to cut the lead down to four points in the third quarter and blew the visitors out of the water in the fourth. The home team outscored the Celtics 29-12 in the final 12 minutes, and 50-27 in the second half. Brown was very clear in pointing out the issues that led his team to a loss.
He added, “It’s just a lack of poise. Seeing the game, seeing how the game is being called, seeing the adjustments and being able to adjust quicker. I think in the first half we got to the line, we got free throws, we got what we wanted.”
Brown added that the game changed its course in the second half as the Celtics lost their momentum.
Jaylen Brown on the root of the issue when spacing is bad:
“It’s just a lack of poise… second half, the whistle wasn’t on our side. It’s fine, we just have to adjust faster… credit to OKC, their physicality set the tone in the second half.” pic.twitter.com/YyiF34A287
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) January 6, 2025
The OKC has been one of the best teams in the league so far. They have a 30-5 record and have dominated both home and away games alike. While a win against a strong team like them would’ve boosted confidence, Kristaps Porzingis is happy to leave Oklahoma with the experience for now.
Kristaps Porzingis said the Thunder better than they were last year:
“They’re a really good team, and it's always a good test to play against high-level teams.”
“This kind of win is just going to give them more confidence. So it's not good, but we will have another opportunity… pic.twitter.com/8R0glB34l2
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) January 5, 2025
He said, “They’re a really good team, and it’s always a good test to play against high-level teams.” Despite this loss, the Celtics remain the third-best team in the league, in terms of the win-loss record. They will now play the Nuggets at Ball Arena on 7th January.
