Stars align as healthier Thunder, Celtics match up
The Oklahoma City Thunder will be seeking their 13th consecutive victory when they visit the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.
Oklahoma City, the defending NBA champion, had a franchise-record 16-game winning streak earlier this season and currently has the best record in the league (57-15).
"We don't really focus on the winning streak, we focus on the possessions," Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said following Monday night's 123-103 road victory over Philadelphia.
"We don't even focus on the game, we focus on the possessions and trying to build the right habits and win the little battles that exist inside a possession and let them stack up throughout a game," the coach continued. "Sometimes you look up and you win the game, sometimes you look up and you're up 20 and sometimes you look up and you have a winning streak.
"We try to stay very present and just continue to sharpen our blade, improve our stuff and compete. Wherever that lands us, it lands us."
The Celtics-Thunder matchup will feature two of the NBA's top scorers. Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31.5 points per contest, which ranks second in the league. He has scored at least 20 points in 64 straight road games after he broke Wilt Chamberlain's NBA record of 58 from 1961-63.
Boston's Jaylen Brown is averaging 28.5 points per game, which is fifth in NBA scoring.
The Celtics (47-24) had their four-game winning streak end with Sunday night's 102-92 home loss to Minnesota. Boston's Jayson Tatum had 16 points and 11 rebounds in the setback but shot 6 of 16 from the field.
Tatum is shooting 38.8% from the field, including 29.3% from 3-point territory, in eight games since he returned from surgery to repair a ruptured right Achilles tendon in May.
"I wouldn't say normal slump, because it's the first time I went through something like this," Tatum said. "I mean, it's just been a long time. It was a long time before I could shoot a basketball, before I could walk. So just trying to knock the rust off game by game. I find great spurts and moments from game to game and, you know, just trying to put more of them together."
Tatum, a six-time All-Star and first-team All-NBA the past four seasons, is averaging 19.1 points and 8.9 rebounds this abbreviated season.
"Just taking it day by day," Tatum said. "I have probably the worst injury you can have. Came back in 10 months and getting better. Better feel each game. I wanted to be perfect and first-team All-NBA Jayson, but it's going to take time. I didn't rush the rehab process, so I can't rush this. It's all gonna work out."
Guard Jalen Williams returned to the Oklahoma City lineup for Monday's game against Philadelphia and scored 18 points with six assists and four rebounds in 20 minutes in the win. A right hamstring strain had kept him out of game action since Feb. 11, a span of 16 games.
The hamstring strain plus offseason wrist surgery has limited Williams to 27 games this season.
"I think if I was on a different team I'd be more frustrated, but I'm around good energy," Williams said. "So I think that's been one of the things that keeps me going."
Wednesday's game will be the second meeting between the teams this season. Oklahoma City came away with a 104-102 home victory on March 12 when Chet Holmgren made two free throws with 0.9 seconds to play. In that game, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points to break Chamberlain's record with his 127th consecutive game overall with at least 20 points. The streak is now up to 132 games.