Shai Gilgeous-Alexander posted an MVP stat line of 33 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks as he led the Oklahoma City Thunder in yet another majestic comeback victory as they defeated the Boston Celtics, 105-92 thanks to a late rally in the fourth quarter. OKC erased a 13-point deficit and managed to come up with a 13-point win of their own to keep their winning streak alive, now standing at 15 games in a row.

Boston scored 65 points in the first half and took a 10-point lead at halftime. However, OKC clawed back and clamped them on the defensive end, holding the Celtics to just 27 points on a whopping 20% shooting for the entire second half – shutting them down effectively and hammering them on both ends while OKC managed to drop 50 points in the second half.

The Celtics have now lost three games in a row in Oklahoma City, dating back to the rebuild era of the Thunder. OKC has now come back from a double-digit deficit in the last four games in a row, capitalizing in the third quarter to trim the gap before taking the lead in all fourth quarters.

Sen-Shai-tional Performance from OKC

SGA was the only player for OKC to breach 20+ points, who are still missing the presence of Chet Holmgren, Alex Caruso, and Ajay Mitchell – three major players in the rotation who are out with an injury. Gilgeous-Alexander’s elite performance carried Oklahoma City throughout the game, while the rest of the squad took time to adjust to the game. By the end of the third, SGA was already up to 26 points.

By the end of the game, OKC had five players in double figures, led by Aaron Wiggins’ 15, Cason Wallace’s 13, and Jalen Williams’ 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. All players at least scored a point at the buzzer, and only Jaylin Williams played less than 10 minutes in the game for the Thunder.

The Celtics, on the other hand, relied on Jayson Tatum – who finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Kristaps Porzingis finished with 19 points, but only had two points in the second half, which was a jumper over a 6-foot-3 Cason Wallace. Payton Pritchard, who has been scorching hot, did not score a single point in the loss.

OKC drilled a total of 16 threes, and shot 44.8% from the field overall while dishing 22 assists, pulling 11 steals, and forcing 16 turnovers from the Celtics. The Celtics also shot 21-of-24 from the charity stripe, while Oklahoma City only shot 11-of-13.

The Dorture Chamber

Jaylen Brown, Boston’s second-leading scorer, finished with 21 points in the first half, but he did not score a single point in the second half. Brown shot 0-7 from the field, including 0-3 from three and did not even have an assist or rebound as well. After a scorching run in the first half, OKC head coach simply said that he put Lu Dort on Brown, leading to the lockdown defense that prevented the Boston guard from scoring.

On the other hand, Dort scored 11 points in the fourth and drilled three shots from deep to help OKC pull away with two minutes left in the game. His dagger shot with 41 seconds left sealed the game for good and ended Boston’s hopes of a comeback. In the end, his two way performance shone the best, and it really proved to be pivotal in OKC’s success.

The Thunder now set their eyes on pulling off the sweet 16 mark on their winning streak, but they will now visit the Cleveland Cavaliers next in their gauntlet of a schedule to earn that. The NBA-leading Cavs have won 10 games in a row, and one has to give in the coming clash.