Celtics make undesirable 3-point history in loss to Thunder
Living and dying by the three has been the best way to describe the 2024-25 Celtics for most of the season. However, no game has proved that sentiment more than Wednesday night’s 118-112 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Celtics clearly had a plan to shoot an abundance of threes, as they often do. However, that may be an understatement coming off Wednesday’s game, considering they tied an NBA record by shooting 63 total shots from beyond the arc — matching the record previously record set by the Houston Rockets in 2021, according to Steve Bulpett.
But not only did they tie the full-game record, the C’s also broke a record by attempting the most threes ever in a first half with 36. The previous record of 35 was set by the Brooklyn Nets in 2019. It is also worth noting that 22-of-24 shots in the first quarter for the C’s were from deep, according to Jared Weiss and Jay King of The Athletic.
What’s more, they struggled to hit the threes they were taking. They have hit the three-pointer at roughly 40 percent efficiency for much of the year. When they exceed 40 percent as a team from deep, they will often win, but they were far less efficient on Wednesday (31.7 percent).
The reliance on the three becomes more confusing when comparing their 31.7 three-point percentage to their two-point efficiency, which was at an impressive 67.7 percent. Despite hitting the two, they clearly did not want to use it, attempting half the twos than threes (31).
When asked about the shots not falling for the Celtics, head coach Joe Mazzulla said the team must continue to “generate good looks.” He also said that the C’s were on the short side of some “timely stuff,” listing turnovers, rebounds, and fouls — Jaylen Brown fouled out — as compounding factors that hurt the team over the course of the game.
“I thought we handled the majority well,” Mazzulla continued. “Just, all those things get magnified a when you have two really good teams playing against each other.”
‘Timely stuff’ aside, the three did not benefit the Celtics, but it seems Mazzulla and the C’s are unwilling to stray away from the deep ball. What the loss against OKC should tell fans the most about this team going into the playoffs is: If the Celtics end up losing in a seven-game series, it’s possible their reliance — debatably overreliance — on the three will play a role.
Luke Graham is a digital sports content co-op for 98.5 the Sports Hub. He is currently a sophomore at Northeastern University studying communications and media studies. Read all his articles here, and follow him on X @LukeGraham05.
