The Oklahoma City Thunder dropped the Boston Celtics, 97-88, on Monday night. The two teams are going in opposite directions, as the Thunder extended their win streak to seven games while the reeling Celtics lost their fifth in a row.
VIDEO: Celtics’ Tribute To Kendrick Perkins
Thunder Vs. Celtics: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook Lead OKC To 97-88 Win In Kendrick Perkins’ Return
The key to the Thunder’s win was their perimeter shooting. Thabo Sefolosha, who scored 19, and Russell Westbrook were on fire from deep, combining to shoot 5-6, many of which came in a decisive stretch in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
The Celtics relied heavily on Paul Pierce and he answered the call, turning in his best performance on the season with 24 points on 8-15 shooting and five rebounds. Pierce got no help, however, least of all from Ray Allen. He was just 2-7 from the field, scored six points, and was the man who got lit up by Sefolosha and provided no help defense. It was unquestionably Allen’s worst game of the year, and it’s not hard to pick him out as the main reason the Celtics couldn’t pull it out. Every other starter scored at least 12 points, even his backup, MIckael Pietrus, put in 14 off the bench.
Read Article >Thunder Vs. Celtics: OKC Keeping Celtics At Bay At Halftime
For more on both these two teams, visit Thunder blog Welcome to Loud City and CelticsBlog.
Read Article >Thunder Vs. Celtics: TV Time, Schedule And More
The Celtics welcome in the Thunder in the midst of a four-game losing streak and have struggled to adapt to the NBA’s new condensed schedule due to the NBA lockout. The Celtics are averaging just under 90 points per game, and even with their defense they’ll need to score more than that to beat the Thunder on Martin Luther King Day.
The game tips off at 8:00 p.m. on Monday night at the TD Center in Boston. The game will be aired live on the TNT network.
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