Recap: Unlikely Hero Luke Kornet Helps Push Celtics Past Thunder in 111-94 Win
Alonzo Adams | USA TODAY Sports
An unlikely hero and a late surge propelled the Celtics to a 111-94 win over the Thunder. Jayson Tatum and newly acquired big man Luke Kornet played hero late in the game. Boston got their first lead of the game early on in the fourth and never looked back.
The Celtics started the game by shooting 1-10 from the field. They were getting some good looks, but nothing was falling. On the other hand, Oklahoma City was moving the ball well and finding good looks. The Thunder began the game on a 14-2 run.
Carsen Edwards and Payton Pritchard both made early appearances off the bench. They scored five and six points in the first quarter, respectively. Their offensive contributions helped cut Oklahoma City’s lead down to four by the end of the first. They were the only two Celtics who had five or more first-quarter points.
Moses Brown was dominating in the paint for the Thunder. He had a double-double with rebounds midway through the second. He was an absolute machine, but the Celtics slowly began to make a comeback late in the second quarter. Pritchard and Jaylen Brown led the way in scoring for the quarter as Tatum struggled to get things going.
Brown finished the half with a ridiculous stat-line of 17 points and 19 rebounds on 6-6 shooting from the field. Pritchard and Brown were the only Celtics in double figures, with 12 and 10 points, respectively. The Thunder held a 52-47 lead at the half.
The third quarter brought more of the same. The Thunder continued to get scoring from a variety of places and the Celtics continued to find open looks. Luguentz Dort went down with an apparent injury early in the third, but it was a “next man up” mentality for OKC. It was Theo Maledon who started to get things going in the third.
Brown was leading the charge for Boston in the third quarter. While the rest of the Celtics failed to make their shots, Brown was forcing the issue and getting to his spots. He had 13 of the Celtics’ 29 points in the third. Oklahoma City took an 80-76 lead into the final quarter.
Kornet made his debut for the Celtics at the end of the third and even got the start in the final quarter. He gave Boston their first led of the game with a pair of threes early in the fourth. The threes ended up sparking a nice run for the C’s that saw them take a seven-point lead halfway through the quarter.
By the time the game was wrapping up, the Celtics had opened up close to a 20-point lead. Tatum led the way in scoring in the fourth, and Kornet played the role of an unlikely hero. They had 13 and 8 points in the fourth, respectively.
Boston came to play in the final quarter, absolutely shutting down the Thunder. This win puts them back at .500 on the season, sitting at 23-23. Their next game will come on Monday, March 29 when they take on the Pelicans. Tip-off will be at 7:30 PM EST on NBC Sports Boston.
