vs 
Oklahoma City Thunder (56-15)  at  Boston Celtics (47-24)
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
7:30 PM ET
Game #72, Home Game #36
TV: NBCSB, FDSN,, NBA-LP
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WWLS/WKY,  Sirius XM


Probable Celtics Starters
PG SG SFPF C
PG:  Derrick White
SG:  Jaylen Brown
SF:  Sam Hauser
PF:  Jayson Tatum
C:   Neemias Queta 

Celtics Reserves
Payton Pritchard
Hugo Gonzalez
Luka Garza
Amare Williams
Jordan Walsh
Baylor Scheierman
Max Shulga
Charles Bassey (10-Day)

2-Way Players
Ron Harper, Jr

Injuries/Out
Nikola Vucevic (finger) out
John Tonje (G-League) out
Amare Williams (G-League) questionable
Max Shulga (G-League) questionable

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Probable Thunder Starters
PGSGSFPFC
PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
SG: Lugentz Dort
SF: Jalen Williams
PF: Chet Holmgren
C:   Isaiah Hartenstein

Thunder Reserves
Alex Caruso
Ajay Mitchell
Isaiah Joe
Jared McCain
Aaron Wiggins
Cason Wallace
Jaylin Williams
Kenrich Williams

2-Way Players
Brooks Barnhizer
Branden Carlson
Payton Sandfort

Injuries/Out
Thomas Sorber (knee) out
Nikola Topic (G-League) out

Head Coach
Mark Daigneault

Game Notes
The Celtics continue their 3 game home stand as they host the Oklahoma City Thunder in what may be a Finals preview.  This is the second, and final, regular season game between these two teams.  The Celtics lost 104-102 in Oklahoma City on March 12.  They lost the series 0-2 last season, with each team winning at home.   The Celtics are 79-69 overall all time against the Thunder and they are 40-29 in games played in Boston. 

The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 5 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are just percentage points ahead of 3rd place New York, 3 games ahead of 4th place Cleveland, 7 games ahead of 5th place Toronto, 7.5 games ahead of 6th place Atlanta, and 8.5 games ahead of 7th place Philadelphia. The Celtics are 18-10 against Western Conference opponents. They are 24-11 at home and 6-4 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a loss in their last game. (The Cavaliers are playing as I write this so this may change.)

The Thunder are 1st in the West, 3 games ahead of 2nd place San Antonio, 11 games ahead of the 3rd place Lakers, 13 games ahead of 4th place Denver and 5th place Minnesota, 13.5 games ahead of 6th place Houston and 17 games ahead of 7th place Phoenix.  They are 20-6 against Eastern Conference opponents.  They are 28-8 on the road and 10-0 in their last 10 games.  They have won their last 12 games. 

After this game at home against Oklahoma City, the Celtics will host Atlanta to complete a 3 game home stand. Then it's back on the road for a 4 game trip through Charlotte, Atlanta, Miami and Milwaukee. They will then play two games at home against Toronto and Charlotte before one game on the road at New York. They will finish the season with 2 games at home against New Orleans and Orlando.

The Thunder are playing in the final game of a 6 game road trip. They will return home for a 5 game home stand hosting Chicagok New York, Detroit, Los Angeles Lakers, and Utah.  Then it's on the road for a 3 game road trip to play the Lakers and Clippers in Los Angeles and finish the trip in Denver.  They will finish the season with a game at home against Phoenix. 

Both teams are relatively healthy.   Nikola Vucevic remains out for the Celtics after surgery to stabilize a fracture in his right ring finger. John Tonje is out on G-League assignment.  Amare Williams and Max Shulga are questionable due to G-League assignment.  For the Thunder, Thomas Sorber (knee) and Nikola Topic (G-League) are both out.   In the first matchup, the Celtics were without both White and Tatum while the Thunder were without Jalen Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein. 

Key Matchups
  vs 
Derrick White vs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.  He is shooting 55.5% from the field and 38.8% from beyond the arc.  In the first game against the Celtics, SGA finished with 35 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals while shooting 72.2% from the field and 43.8% from beyond the arc.  Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning MVP and is one of the leaders to win it once again this season.  He is the key to the Thunder's winning ways.  In order to slow the Thunder, the Celtics must slow down SGA.
 
vs
Jayson Tatum vs Chet Holmgren
Holmgren is averaging 17.2 points, 9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.9 blocks per game.  He is shooting 55.4% from the field and 35.2% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 14 points and 9 rebounds while shooting 50% from the field and 25% from beyond the arc. The Celtics must stay with him on defense whether he is in the paint or on the perimeter.  Jayson Tatum has been struggling somewhat in recent games and hopefully he will be able to play well in this game. 

Honorable Mention
Sam Hauser vs Jalen Williams
Williams is averaging 17.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, , 5.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.  He is shooting 48.3% from the field and 31.3% from beyond the arc.   He missed the first game against the Celtics and this is just his 3rd game back from injury.   He has played in just 27 games this season. 

Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense is always the biggest key to winning.   This is going to be a tough matchup for the Celtics as the Thunder are first in the league with a defensive rating of 106.0 while the Celtics are 4th with a defensive rating of 111.5.   The Celtics need to tighten up their defense and make playing defense a priority especially against this Thunder team that plays lock down defense.

Rebound - Rebounding  is also a key to winning.  The Celtics need to rebound on the defensive end to keep the Thunder from getting second chance points and they need to rebound on the offensive end to give themselves extra possessions.  The Thunder are 13th with 44.1 rebounds per game while the Celtics are 4th with 46.5 rebounds per game.  Much of rebounding is desire and effort and the Celtics as a team have to put in the extra effort to grab rebounds.

Take Care of the Ball - The Celtics need to keep their focus and not turn the ball over.  The Thunder are 1st in the league with 22.3 points off turnovers per game. They are also 4th with 9.7 steals per game.  The Celtics have to move the ball because they are a much better team when they move the ball and don't over dribble.   But they must focus and make careful passes and not get sloppy.  They also have to be aware when dribbling the ball so as not to allow the Thunder to get steals.  The Thunder will make them pay if they get sloppy and turn the ball over.

Be Focused and Ready for a Tough Game -  The Thunder are a very good team and they play exceptional defense. They are also a very physical team.  The Celtics have to be ready to go to the basket if they struggle from three.  They also have to be ready to shoot from midrange if both the paint and the perimeter are defended tightly.  The Celtics must stay focused on playing hard for 48 minutes and on playing tough defense and on matching the Thunder's physicality.  They can't afford to let the Thunder play harder than them. 

X-Factors
At Home vs Road Fatigue  - The Celtics are at home and they should get motivation from playing in front of their fans.  The Celtics at home for their 2nd straight game and should be refreshed  being at home. The Thunder are on the road with distractions of travel, staying in hotels and playing in front of a hostile crowd. They are playing in the final game of a 5 game road trip and so fatigue may be a factor for them down the stretch.

Officiating -  Officiating is always an x-factor. How the refs call the game has a big influence on how the teams play. Will they let them play or call every little bit of contact? Will they call it evenly or will they favor one team or the other. It all effects the outcome of the game and the Celtics need to play the right way and not allow the officiating to take them out of their game.  They can't let bad calls and no calls take away their focus.