Pressed up against Derrick White, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander slithered his way to his spot despite Jrue Holiday tagging along. He swished in a short mid-range jumper to silence the road crowd and let them deal with the reality of the impending result.
The Oklahoma City Thunder shocked the Boston Celtics with a 118-112 win. Entering as a rare underdog, they went into a hostile environment and beat the reigning NBA champions without their second All-Star player.
The Thunder showed early on that they wouldn't succumb to a scheduled loss. They scored the first nine points as Chet Holmgren went back to his center spot and Isaiah Hartenstein returned to the bench. They left the first quarter with a 33-30 lead.
Gilgeous-Alexander had it going early. The Thunder dominated with him on the floor. We know they do that already. He's the ultimate ceiling-raiser. But the real test would be how they'd look with him off the floor. Relying on the Holmgren-Hartenstein duo for their bench lineup, the results were promising to start the second quarter.
The Thunder held their own as both teams scored 30 points apiece in the frame. Gilgeous-Alexander made a circus mid-range jumper between two Boston defenders in the final seconds. They entered halftime with a slight 63-60 lead.
Coming out of the break, the Thunder pushed their lead to double-digit points. An 11-0 run was capped off when Gilgeous-Alexander scored on a stepback 3-pointer. Suddenly, they were up 80-68 with a little over seven minutes left in the third quarter.
The lead only lived for a bit as the Celtics went on an 18-6 run in the final six minutes of the frame. Jayson Tatum's and-one bucket tied it up at 88 points apiece after three quarters. With the game on ESPN, the national audience got what they sought in this elite matchup.
Both teams went back and forth to start the fourth quarter. Tied at 95 points with a little under nine minutes left, Gilgeous-Alexander checked back in a little earlier than usual. This was a prime opportunity to show off on a national stage and help his MVP case.
It didn't take long for Gigeous-Alexander to do that. Sinking a turnaround jumper against Payton Pritchard, he pushed OKC's lead to 106-98 with less than five minutes left. As the Celtics' outside shooting went cold against the league's best defense, the MVP candidate dissected them to grow an eight-point advantage.
It didn't take much longer for the Thunder to go up by double-digit points. Cason Wallace's back-to-back buckets from the outside and with a wide-open lane to the basket suddenly created a 113-102 lead with under two minutes left.
The Celtics prettied the final score in the final minutes, but this game was already decided. A stunned Boston crowd couldn't believe a short-handed Thunder came into their building and shut them down.
The Thunder shot 49% from the field and went 13-of-37 (35.1%) from 3. They shot 23-of-35 on free throws. They had 19 assists on 40 baskets. Seven Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 34 points and seven assists. Holmgren stepped up with 23 points and 15 rebounds. As starters, Wallace scored 14 points and Lu Dort had 13 points. Off the bench, Hartenstein had 11 points and six rebounds. Isaiah Joe had 11 points and Kenrich Williams had 10 points.
Meanwhile, the Celtics shot 44% from the field and went 20-of-63 (31.7%) from 3. They shot 10-of-12 on free throws. They had 25 assists on 41 baskets. Four Celtics players scored double-digit points.
Tatum finished with 33 points on 12-of-23 shooting, eight assists and eight rebounds. White scored 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting, eight rebounds and five assists. Al Horford had 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Jaylen Brown struggled with 10 points on 5-of-15 shooting before he fouled out.
In a season filled with impressive wins, this one has to be up there. The Thunder and Celtics are two-thirds of an elite three-team tier this season -- along with the Cleveland Cavaliers. To go into Boston and beat them in a potential NBA Finals preview without your second-best player flexes what type of season they've had.
Let's look at Thunder player grades:
With the first seed locked up, the rest of the regular season will be about boosting Gilgeous-Alexander's MVP case. Certain matchups get propped up more than others. Against the Celtics on ESPN's primetime slot fits that category to a T.
Gilgeous-Alexander added to his case. He finished with 34 points on 11-of-20 shooting, seven assists and five rebounds. He shot 2-of-7 from 3 and went 10-of-11 on free throws. He also had a steal.
At this point, it doesn't matter who guards Gilgeous-Alexander. He's going to get his. The Celtics' backcourt is one of the best defensive duos in the league with Holiday and White. Didn't matter. The 26-year-old still got his spots and drained in difficult jumpers.
If that didn't work, Gilgeous-Alexander attacked the paint. Either he had acrobatic finishes or went to the free-throw line. He dominated throughout the game and led the Thunder to another signature win. This was another day in the office for the MVP candidate with a superb-efficient 30-plus point outing.
Folks will cry about the free-throw numbers, but that comes with the territory of being one of the league's best five players. Fans will latch onto one negativity and make that their biggest critique. But getting to the line has turned Gilgeous-Alexander into the NBA's best scorer. He's mastered the art of drawing contact. Any team would take that type of scorer in a heartbeat.
Catching Gilgeous-Alexander's fastball pass with one hand, Holmgren looked over his head to bank in the reverse layup despite multiple defenders present. The pretty finish oozed confidence as the 22-year-old made up for his worst game since his return with his best game yet.
Holmgren finished with 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting, 15 rebounds and two assists. He shot 3-of-6 from 3 and went 4-of-7 on free throws. He also had a block.
Needing Holmgren to step up without Williams, the seven-footer was OKC's best player in this resume win. He cashed in on his outside looks and his feel around the rim was sharp. He even swished in a patented short-range jumper at the nail against Sam Hauser when Hartenstein's screen gave him the switch.
Holmgren returned to being a center. He looked much better in that role, but we already knew that. What about when he shared the court with Hartenstein? It's the best the double-big lineup has looked as they ran the second unit without Williams. Perhaps the Thunder have finally found something with those two. They held their own against the Celtics without Gilgeous-Alexander. An impressive showing, considering how ugly they've looked together at times.
This game showed off what Holmgren can do as a scorer. We saw him take strides at the start of the season before his hip fracture. They've seldom been there since then post-return. But against the Celtics, the seven-footer's scoring shined when it was needed the most.
Getting assigned against Brown, Dort turned last year's Finals MVP winner into a non-factor. This is now two straight games where he was blanketed against OKC in a highly anticipated matchup. That happens when you face the Thunder's bevy of perimeter defenders.
Dort finished with 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting and four rebounds. He shot 3-of-8 from 3 and went 0-of-2 on free throws.
The 25-year-old's hot streak carried over to Boston. He stepped up as a double-digit scorer. The Thunder needed the buckets without Williams. The defense speaks for itself at this point. He's one of the league's best perimeter defenders and showed off his talent against Brown.
Leaving Wallace open, Holiday doubled Gilgeous-Alexander with White. The MVP candidate passed it to his teammate before he was fully pressed. The 21-year-old jogged down an open lane to the basket for a layup.
Given the starting nod, the Thunder's bet to go small paid off. Wallace finished with 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting, four rebounds and three assists. He shot 3-of-4 on free throws and shot 1-of-1 from 3. He also had two steals and a block.
Usually, Williams helps Gilgeous-Alexander close out tight contests. But with him out, Wallace stepped up with eight points in the fourth quarter. It was another solid start for him, as he's been the perfect role player for the Thunder this season.