NBA: Mega comeback of the Celtics!

The Oklahoma City Thunder (43-30) have lost again after six wins in a row at the Boston Celtics (48-23). The Celtcs won 100:99 thanks to a game winner by Marcus Morris with 100:99 (BOXSCORE). The hosts were still six points behind 24 seconds before the end.

It was very quiet at the beginning in the TD Garden, the Celtics fans apparently didn’t expect much from the shaken Boston team. Rookie Jayson Tatum woke the audience up in the meantime, but otherwise there was little else going on. OKC also played better, but the usual Westbrook-Adams combo was at least a reliable option. Nevertheless, both teams hit only 33 percent from the field in the first 12 minutes, OKC found at least ways to the line (already 8 FTA).

But the food remained heavy. In the middle of the second quarter, Backup-Guard Abdel Nader had already taken 7 litters (one hit) – more than any other Celtic, this is no recipe for success. But OKC could not use this and was a little lulled. The Celtics attacked lively offensive rebounds and after another Tatum Dunk, Terry Rozier sent a three-pointer to take the lead (37:36). Afterwards the Thunder rattled a little, met their first three and went into the cabin with a small lead (48:45 OKC).

But this was quickly used up, because Tatum and Al Horford initiated an 11:2 run and OKC took many bad throws in the offense. Paul George and Russ scored the necessary points, but PG-13 picked up his fourth foul three minutes before the end of the quarter. Nevertheless, the Thunder quickly led with 9 points, as Westbrook now took the offense even more. When the MVP sat down, the dynamics changed again and a wild threesome with Shane Larkin’s buzzer brought the hosts back to two points.

The final phase was rung in by many fouls and whistles, it was not nice to look at, but it remained exciting. In the first seven minutes of the quarter both teams scored only 15 points. Boston were almost four minutes without a field goal and point, while George and Carmelo Anthony’s threesomes left them a little behind (87:82). The Thunder were suddenly hot from the distance and hit four threesomes in a row (before 6/21). Rozier shortened one minute before the end to 3 points, but then took a terrible throw, the fate of the Celtics seemed to be sealed.

But OKC left the door open. Adams and Westbrook missed a free-throw, Melo even both, and so the Celtics had a 7.7 second chance to win at 97:99 – and they took it. Tatum used the free Marcus Morris on the wing, who hit the clock in downtown at 1.2 seconds. OKC had another possibility, but Westbrook’s three-way was clearly too short.

For the Celtics Tatum (23, 8/12 FG, 11 Rebounds) and Morris (21) were the best options on the attack, Larkin (13) and Greg Monroe (17) also did a good job on the attack. OKC was worn by Westbrook (27, 9/21 FG, 8 rebounds, 7 assists) and the Point Guard got support from George (24, 13 rebounds) and Steven Adams (14).

Boston Celtics (48-23) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (43-30) 100:99 (BOXSCORE)

Jayson Tatum. The boy’s 20? The fact that Boston actually won this game was mainly due to the rookie, who scored incredibly efficiently and also showed that he can score in one-on-one (against Paul George!). He aggressively went to the basket and was not intimidated by the presence of Adams. Other strong components in his game: the elitist rebounding and his good overview in front of the Morris game winner.

Carmelo Anthony. If his throws don’t fall, he is an absolute minus player and that’s exactly what happened that evening. Opponent Horford left a lot of room, but Melo simply couldn’t make use of his possibilities. Even post-ups against Shane Larkin ended in a ball loss. In the end, he ran hot again with two converted threes, but his two missed free throws in the crunchtime clearly overshadowed this. Melo ended up with 13 points (5/13 FG) and 5 rebounds.

A positive aspect of the many Celtics violations is that Tatum is now playing a bigger role in the offense, which could be an important factor for the playoffs. Coach Stevens designed some plays in which Tatum could move from the movement to Handoffs to the basket. Since the Thunder overslept the help a few times, the rookie then let it really crack. Marcus Morris once again proved that he can be a reliable scorer – and not only with the Second Unit.