Tatum-Horford Connection Shines Despite Celtics Loss To Thunder

Jayson Tatum and Al Horford's two-man game was a major weapon for the Boston Celtics

Thunder 118, Celtics 112

• Kristaps Porzingis is still absent from the Celtics rotation. This was the sixth game he’s missed since coming down with a mystery illness.

• Jaylen Brown struggled throughout the night. He fouled out in the fourth. Shot 0-of-5 from deep, and was unable to assert his usual elite defense onto the game.

  • Jrue Holiday also struggled. His lack of effectiveness from the corners is a growing concern for me. He shot 60% from the corners last season, but is at 27% as we edge closer to the playoffs. Against the Thunder, he went 0-of-3 from the corners and 1-of-4 on the perimeter, giving him a 14% conversion rate on 7 shot attempts.

• The Jayson Tatum + Al Horford two-man game was highly effective, especially during early offense scenarios. Boston spammed the pick-and-pop with these two, with Tatum using different tactics to open up the veteran big man.

  • Tatum also hunted Chet Holmgren on multiple possessions. He loves attacking bigs in space, especially when he can get downhill on them after creating separation on the bounce.

• The Thunder run some really good stuff. They rarely stand still. Their defensive intensity, pressure and physicality were all impressive.

• Oklahoma bridged the three-point gap by getting to the line a bunch. As a unit, they took 35 free-throws.

The Celtics are now 0-2 against the Thunder. A potential 7-game series between these two teams will likely become an instant classic. We will be watching it back on NBA TV in about 10 years, regardless of who walks away with the dub.

Still, the Celtics can take a lot of lessons from this matchup. They had tangible success when attacking the rim in the third quarter — in fact, it helped them walk down a double-digit lead to keep things level heading into the fourth.

Still, the loss gives Oklahoma a slight mental advantage. They will feel like they can beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals, despite the fact that they have a clear lack of postseason experience.

The Takeaways

** The rest of today’s postgame analysis, is for paying subscribers. Subscribe below to unlock this post, all paid posts moving forward, and the complete Celtics Chronicle archive.***