Keys to the Game: Thunder 127, Celtics 123 – NBA.com

The Boston Celtics nearly pulled off a massive fourth-quarter comeback Tuesday night, as they cut Oklahoma City’s 18-point lead down to two in a span of less than six minutes. However, the C’s couldn’t quite catch up with the Thunder, who struck them down with a 127-123 win at Paycom Center.
It was a thrilling finish, but the key moment occurred in the third quarter when OKC built its unsurpassable lead.
Boston entered the second half ahead 61-58; however, the Thunder overtook the C’s within the first 40 seconds of the third period and never looked back.
OKC had two big runs in the third, opening the period with an 8-0 stretch and closing it on a 22-14 run.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey were unstoppable during the frame, combining to outscore Boston 27-25 while shooting 11-of-14 from the field and dishing out seven assists between them.
As a team, the Thunder outscored the C’s 40-25 in that quarter, which was nearly the polar opposite of the 40-23 third-quarter advantage Boston held over San Antonio Sunday night.
In the end, it was too much to overcome, as OKC put an end to Boston’s six-game win streak.
Jayson Tatum finished just two assists shy of a massive triple-double Tuesday night. He logged 30 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists, the latter two of which were both game-highs.
The wing did most of his damage driving to the basket, which also earned him 10 trips to the free-throw line. He came up big on the offensive glass, as well, where he grabbed five of his 13 boards.
Tatum has been putting up loads of these well-rounded stat lines of late. Prior to the game, it was announced that he had been nominated for East Player of the Week after averaging 27.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game from Dec. 25-31.
Clearly, he’s continuing that trend into the new year.
“I liked our fight tonight, and even though it’s a loss, it’s something we’re going to take with us.”
– Kristaps Porzingis
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