On March 25th, 2026, the Celtics defeated the Western Conference leader and defending champion Thunder, 119-109.
An MVP faceoff between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jaylen Brown on Wednesday night felt like an NBA Finals preview. The matchup would come down to the leaders of each squad and how they were defended. Both teams are stout defensively, especially on the perimeter.
Oklahoma City has two All-World perimeter defenders in Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso, as well as more physical, switchable defenders like Luguentz Dort. The Thunder “Big Three” in SGA, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, can also hold their own in their respective roles.
So how did the Celtics manage to score 119?
Credit: Boston Celtics-Twitter/XThe Celtics spread the ball around well while a majority of the rotation saw their shots drop. Shooting 44% from 3 certainly helps, as does incredible minutes from the bench unit. Baylor Scheierman found himself matched up against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a handful of times, yet still forced two turnovers, which is high for the reigning MVP and scoring champion. I feel like I bring Scheierman up every week, but he has truly emerged as a game-changing sniper and on-ball-defense menace in his second year off the bench. All of my talking points from this season were realized: the Celtics were efficient despite lower three-point volume and played physical on both ends of the floor.
Jaylen Brown had an MVP-level game, with a stat line of 31 points, 8 assists, 8 rebounds, and 2 steals. SGA scored a couple of points more; however, Gilgeous-Alexander shot 9-12 from the field and 3-4 from the field. His silky-smooth footwork, alongside his ability to finish through contact, is truly one-of-a-kind. There is still the “foul baiting” narrative that feels overblown at this point, but it is worth noting his ability to get to the charity stripe. SGA and Brown are two of the best finishers in the rim and have two of the quickest first steps, yet approach driving to the basket much differently. The Celtics’ paint penetration this game felt above average, which surprised me. Chet Holmgren is an All-Defensive caliber center. Disregarding the inefficient first quarter from Sam Hauser and Jaylen Brown, this was one of the most complete offensive games the Celtics have played all year.
Insights
Jayson Tatum had a season-high 35 minutes played, posting a 19/12/7 line. He still looks rusty and maybe even has a hitch in his shot, but his finishing is still elite. It is paramount that Mazzulla gets Tatum back into action before the playoffs. Defensively, he held Jalen Williams to 7 points (2-for-9 from the field) and Thunder secondary-unit players like Isaiah Joe and Ajay Mitchell. Tatum will get his chance to be the first option on March 27th as Jaylen Brown 2ill miss the game against the red-hot Atlanta Hawks.
The Thunder boast the deepest roster in the league, running an 11-man rotation, while the Celtics opted for a shallower, 9-man rotation. Jordan Walsh was a notable scratch who had slowly fallen out of the usual bench mob. Two players who deserve a shoutout are Neemias Queta and Luka Garza, who both had lower rebound totals than usual but made their presence known underneath each basket. Queta had a momentum-shifting dunk on All-Star Chet Holmgren that fired TD Garden up, limited Holmgren’s touches, and forced him to shoot uncomfortable shots or threes.
Are the Celtics Contenders?
Despite missing out on the infamous 40-20 rule, the Celtics feel like an outlier strictly in the sense that Jayson Tatum is back on the court. Disregarding the Play-In Tournament results, the Celtics would face the 76ers in the first round. Despite the Sixers having questions of their own regarding former MVP Joel Embiid, I feel that the Celtics match up well against them. Queta is playing the best basketball of his career, Derrick White is shooting better down the stretch, and Nikola Vucevic will have recovered from his fractured hand come round one. The rotation feels solidified, and Jayson Tatum is slowly getting back to his former self.
I would say “Don’t write the Celtics off”, but it seems like Coach Mazzulla wants that.
The phrase “Defense wins championships” has rung true throughout NBA history, which supports my completely journalistic, unbiased stance on the Celtics. But the switchability of our defenders, hounding down loose balls and feisty rebounding from the smallest guards to our giant centers, has all the makings of a championship-level squad.
Coach Mazzulla heard what the media had to say about the Celtics preseason, calling it a reloading year or gap year.
Now, sitting below the Pistons in the Eastern Conference standings, the Celtics are poised to make a run and shock the world.
