On a night when their teammates didn't have it going, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were superb, scoring 28 and 26 points respectively to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to their fourth straight road win, 97-88, over the Boston Celtics. It was Kendrick Perkins' first game against the Celtics since they traded him last season, but the big man had just seven points and five rebounds in the game, contributing more with his suffocating defense on Kevin Garnett than on the offensive end.
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.
The Thunder’s record is the best in the NBA, at 12-2, and the Celtics lost their fifth straight game, the worst streak since Garnett and Allen arrived in Beantown. Their record now stands at 4-8.
For more on these two teams, visit Thunder blog Welcome to Loud City and CelticsBlog.
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