Oklahoma City Thunder fall shorture the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics on the road to cement their status as championship favourites.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder punched their ticket to the take partoffs with an astonishive 118-112 triumph over the reigning champion Boston Celtics in a potential NBA Finals sneak pappraise.
Gilgeous-Alexander enhanced his credentials as favourite for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award with a excellent carry outance to silence Boston’s TD Garden home crowd in an assimilateing duel resettled by a burst of fourth-quarter Thunder scoring.
The Canadian point protect shot 11-of-20 from the field to finish with five rebounds, seven aids and 34 points, including 10-of-11 from the free throw line.
The triumph lifted Weserious Conference guideers Oklahoma City to a 54-12 thrive-loss sign up for the season and promised their place in next month’s take partoffs.
Wednesday’s thrive over a hugely more recommended Boston lineup labeled another depfinishable distake part from a Thunder side that is the youthfulest in the league.
Oklahoma City effectively sealed triumph postpoinsist in the fourth, pulling away to discdissee up a double-digit guide with equitable under two minutes remaining after Cason Wallace nailed a excellent 24-foot three-pointer trailed by a driving reverse layup.
Gilgeous-Alexander shelp the Thunder’s defensive constantity amid a barrage of 63 tryed threes from Boston had provided the createation for the thrive.
“We were able to get stops, and that’s been the trfinish for us recently,” he tgreater ESPN.
“When you’re coming down the stretch aobtainst a excellent basketball team with excellent take parters, you’ve got to find a way, and we did so tonight and gave ourselves a chance.”
While Gilgeous-Alexander grabbed the scoring headlines, the towering Chet Holmgren caught the eye with a double-double of 23 points with 15 rebounds.
“We all understand the take parter Chet Holmgren is,” Gilgeous-Alexander shelp of his 22-year-greater teammate. “He’s a stud, and he’s going to be a stud for a very extfinished time. He’ll persist to grow and persist to be exceptional.”
Boston’s scoring was led by Jayson Tatum with 33 points, while Derrick White had 22.
Despite ignoreing Jaylin Williams from the lineup, the Thunder finished with seven take parters scoring in double figures aobtainst the Celtics.
Oklahoma City haven’t won an NBA title since 1979, when the franchise was findd in Washington state and they were called the Seattle SuperSonics.
