BOSTON — The OKC Thunder’s league-best winning streak of 12 games was snapped on Wednesday.
OKC suffered a 119-109 road loss to the Boston Celtics. Jaylen Brown did the bulk of the damage by racking up 31 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in 39 minutes.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 33 points and eight assists for OKC (57-16). The Thunder will now return to Oklahoma City for a five-game homestand.
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
Order new book on Thunder’s run to NBA title
Jayson Tatum looked like his usual self
Jayson Tatum patiently waited underneath the rim for the right time to go for a block.
An extra couple of seconds was nothing to the superstar forward, who missed the first 62 games of the season due to a torn Achilles. And when the right time came, he capitalized.
Lu Dort drove along the baseline and elevated for a layup only to be met by Tatum, who elevated even higher for the block. His first block all season, in fact, during what marked his ninth game back from injury.
That came during a dominant second quarter by Tatum, who helped Boston erase a 13-point deficit and briefly take a 3-point lead. He looked like the same player who earned four straight All-NBA first team selections by shining as an isolation scorer, playmaking and being disruptive on defense.
Tatum continued to deliver throughout the night. He stuffed the stat sheet with 19 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and three steals in 35 minutes.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander showed elite efficiency
The last time Gilgeous-Alexander played against Boston on March 12, he broke the record for the most consecutive 20-point games in NBA history.
And when asked after the game what else he wants to accomplish as an offensive player, the superstar guard was quick to answer.
“I’ve never had a season of 50-40-90,” Gilgeous-Alexander responded.
Only nine different players throughout NBA history have shot at least 50% from the field, 40% from deep and 90% from the free-throw line in a season. The last player to do so Kevin Durant in 2022-23.
It’s a prestigious group. And if Gilgeous-Alexander can play the way he did Wednesday for the final stretch of the regular season, he has a chance to join it.
Gilgeous-Alexander went 10 for 12 from the field (83.3%), 3 for 4 from deep (75%) and 10 for 12 from the free-throw line (83.3%).
Gilgeous-Alexander is now shooting 55.7% from the field, 39.3% from deep and 88.7% from the free-throw line this season.
Progress won’t be linear for Jalen Williams in his return
After a year filled with injuries, the final 11 games of the regular season are a chance for Jalen Williams to ramp up before the playoffs.
But his trajectory won’t be linear. Ups and downs are to be expected for someone who has only played in 28 games all season, and Wednesday’s matchup was definitely the latter.
Williams recorded seven points, three rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes. He went 2 for 9 from the field (22.2%) and 0 for 3 from deep.
Williams will need time to not only find his rhythm individually but also find his rhythm alongside his teammates, who’ve thrived in expanded roles during his absence. Fortunately, he has exactly that.
OKC has nine games left on its regular-season schedule. It’ll then get a break during the play-in tournament, and it should be able to cruise past its first-round opponent. The conference semifinals then begin on May 4, leaving Williams with just under six weeks to hit his stride.
Tip-ins
∎ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has now scored at least 20 points in 133 straight games. It’s the longest streak in NBA history.
∎ OKC was without Brooks Barnhizer (G League two-way), Payton Sandfort (G League two-way), Thomas Sorber (right ACL surgical recovery) and Nikola Topić (G League assignment).
∎ Boston was without Nikola Vucevic (right ring finger fracture).
Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics snap OKC Thunder’s 12-game winning streak
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