The Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder have been useless even for 40 minutes on Wednesday night time. Then the Celtics’ vaunted three-point taking pictures deserted them and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander overwhelmed them.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 in OKC’s 118-112 win, contributing 10 factors and two assists because the Thunder pulled away within the ultimate eight minutes. As that was occurring, the Celtics missed seven straight threes, a part of a 20-for-63 three-point taking pictures night time.
Boston took 63 of their 94 photographs behind the arc, that means greater than two-thirds of its photographs have been threes. Counting on soar photographs was an enormous motive that the Thunder, who took 26 fewer three-pointers than the Celtics, shot 23 extra free throws and scored 15 extra factors from the foul line.
The Celtics lead the league in three-pointers made, however taking pictures them at such an excessive quantity is a high-risk, high-reward technique. Towards groups with powerful perimeter defenders like Lu Dort, Cason Wallace and SGA, these three-point makes an attempt will be more durable — and the Thunder did not even have All-Defensive guard Alex Caruso Wednesday.
However the greatest issue down the stretch was that Boston, with two All-Defensive guards of its personal in Derrick White and Jrue Vacation, merely couldn’t cease Gilgeous-Alexander.
Wednesday’s sport was similar to the 2 groups’ earlier assembly Jan. 5. That sport was tied till the seven-minute mark of the fourth quarter, at which level SGA began dominating (5 factors, two assists) and the Celtics stopped scoring. Boston shot even worse from three-point vary within the first sport, making solely 9 of its 46 makes an attempt from deep.
The Finals are months away, and each groups have an extended highway forward of them. But when the Celtics find yourself going through the Thunder, they will have to search out a solution for his or her three-point woes, they usually’ll undoubtedly have to search out a solution for SGA.
