Celtics dissipate Thunder in comeback win
The Celtics, who trailed by 13 points early to the defending NBA champions, stormed back in the second half for an impressive home win.
Mar 25, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) looks to get past Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) during the second quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Winslow Townson-Imagn ImagesBOSTON — A sold-out crowd poured into TD Garden to see how the Celtics would fare against the NBA’s defending champions. They wanted to see if their team could truly compete for Banner No. 19.
What made Wednesday special was that it was the first time Boston would play against a title contender this season with Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Derrick White, as the latter two missed the team’s previous contest at Oklahoma City. It was the healthiest the franchise had been for a marquee game in 2026.
Robert Parish even sat courtside.
Despite trailing for most of the first 36 minutes, the Celtics rallied in the third quarter to take an advantage they built on throughout the final 12 minutes. It was enough to give Boston a 119-109 comeback win over the Thunder to improve to 48-24 overall. Oklahoma City fell to 57-16, snapping a 12-game winning streak.
Boston trailed by 13 points in the first quarter, failing to generate an offense that could compete with Oklahoma City’s high-power output. Sam Hauser, who was being left open each time down the floor, was 1-of-6 from the field — and 1-of-5 from deep — through the game's first six minutes. Luka Garza was the only Celtic with multiple made shots.
Tatum, Brown and White then arrived, combining for 23 second-quarter points to lead the Celtics to an efficient 52.4 percent clip from the floor and a 60.0 percent mark from deep. Their efforts gave them an advantage for 16 seconds, trailing by only four points at the break while limiting the Thunder to 22 points in the quarter.
Brown wasn’t done.
As MVP chants echoed through the Garden, Brown put on a performance that met those cries. He scored 14 of his 31 points in the third quarter, making three of his four field goal attempts while sinking eight of his nine free throws.
It was enough to yield a five-point lead for the Celtics, who outscored their opponent 39-30 in the third frame.
Baylor Scheierman scored five of his 11 points in the final 12 minutes to put the finishing touches on an impressive comeback win. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA MVP, scored 33 points on a hyper-efficient 10-of-12 mark from the floor. He made 10 of his 12 free throws.
In just his ninth game back from his ruptured Achilles injury, Tatum played a season-high 35 minutes. He flirted with a triple-double, posting 19 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists.
