The Celtics got off to a good start in Oklahoma City tonight, shooting 50% from the field, rebounding the ball well & were tied at 24 with the Thunder after the 1st quarter. Early on, it was apparent that Marcus Smart was going to have a big night. Smart put in 9 points in the first, and was super aggressive on both ends. He and Russell Westbrook would battle for the entire night-OKC’s superstar opened the game up with a 12-point quarter of his own. But it was Smart who would shine brightest tonight.
In the second quarter, the Celts continued their nice work on the boards, but sloppy play kept them from gaining any type of advantage over the Thunder. Thanks to some good play off the bench from Avery Bradley, KO and DLee, Boston went into the half down only seven. The Thunder & Westbrook continued to push the pace, getting to the FT line for 11 attempts, and they made 10 of them. But let’s forget about the first half.
In the 3rd quarter, this Celtics team played some of it’s best basketball of the season. Marcus Smart (who else) led the charge with 15 points in the quarter, Boston kept the turnovers to a minimum and continued to win the battle of the boards. These guys were firing on all cylinders, and went into the 4th with lots of confidence and all the momentum. It was 74-72 Thunder after 3.
Smart, Thomas, Bradley & Sullinger carried Boston to the promised land in the 4th, as the Celtics snuffed out any chance of an OKC comeback by holding the Thunder to 11 fourth quarter points. OKC made just 2 field goals in the final 12 minutes. An impressive 100-85 win for the Celts on the road tonight. After an exhilarating, nerve-wracking yet very satisfying win for the NE Patriots, Boston fans were treated to a great nightcap from the green team.
The Green:
- Marcus Smart did it all tonight. Scored, defended and just flat out balled. He also showed great poise (as Tommy noted on CSNNE’s postgame show) in not letting Westbrook get under his skin/take him out of his game. Smart had a career-high 26 points, grabbed 8 boards and had 3 assists, a steal and a block. He held Russ Westbrook to just 5 of 20 from the floor. I thoroughly enjoyed watching his performance tonight.
- Jared Sullinger hit some big shots in the final quarter, and was a beast on the boards, grabbing 15 rebounds while battling with Ibaka & Adams all night. Impressive game from Sully.
- Boston’s bench had 53 of their 100 points-great all around effort from AB, Sully, KO and company.
- IT had 20 points, including two important treys in the 4th that helped Boston pull away from OKC.
The Gross:
- 18 turnovers for the C’s tonight
The Greenlights:
https://platform.vine.co/static/scripts/embed.js
https://platform.vine.co/static/scripts/embed.js
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtpo1LT9u2s]
The Grid:
- Celtics out rebounded OKC 47-34
- C’s also won points in paint battle, 42-28
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