5 things to know heading into Sunday’s Celtics-Thunder showdown

Celtics

The matchup could potentially serve as an NBA Finals preview.

By Trevor Hass

January 4, 2025 | 11:02 AM

3 minutes to read

The Celtics and Thunder will meet Sunday afternoon in one of the year’s most enticing regular-season matchups.

Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m. ET from Oklahoma City, as two of the league’s best face off in a potential NBA Finals preview. The game will air on NBC Sports Boston and NBA TV.

Here are five things to know as the Celtics (26-9) and Thunder (29-5) go head to head.

The Thunder are on fire.

Oklahoma City, fresh off a 117-107 win over the Knicks on Friday, has won 14 consecutive regular-season games. The Thunder did lose the NBA Cup championship game to the Bucks in mid-December, but otherwise, they haven’t dropped a game since Dec. 1.

They’re amid a very difficult stretch, with the Knicks, Celtics, Cavaliers, and Knicks again in a span of a week.

Oklahoma City already has a 6.5-game lead in the Western Conference, just two-plus months into the season.

The Celtics, meanwhile, have won three straight after dropping four of six. They’re on game three of a tough road trip, with wins over the Timberwolves and Rockets in the rear and a matchup with the Nuggets set for Tuesday.

It all starts with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

One could argue that Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the most underrated superstars in all of professional sports.

NBA fans know him well, but to the common observer, he’s still largely in the background. A strong showing against the Celtics could possibly vault him more into the spotlight as he tries to bolster his Most Valuable Player chances.

Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31.2 points, 6.1 assists, 5.4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1.1 blocks, while shooting 52.5 percent from the floor, 35.6 percent from 3-point range, and 88.5 percent from the line.

He’s on pace to join Michael Jordan and Dwyane Wade as the only players in NBA history to average 30/5/5/2/1 in a season.

He currently has even odds to win MVP, per ESPN BET.

“We want to try to limit him at the rim as much as we can,” Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis told reporters Friday. “Try to make it as grinding as possible for him, to try to wear him down. Big challenge.”

While he’s the clear No. 1 option, he has plenty of help. Jalen Williams (20.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists per game), Isaiah Hartenstein (12.2 points, 12.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists), and Lu Dort (9.8 points, 4.5 rebounds) are a few of many steady contributors on a deep roster. Chet Holmgren is still sidelined with a hip injury.

The Thunder lead the league in steals per game (11.8), defensive rating (102.9), and turnover ratio (11.7). The Celtics are sixth in defensive rating (109.4) and second in turnover ratio (11.9), but 25th in steals (7.7).

The game also carries weight for Jayson Tatum.

While Gilgeous-Alexander is the MVP favorite, Tatum is currently fourth at 25-1. If the Celtics beat the Thunder, and Tatum has another big game, it could boost his chances significantly.

Tatum has been on a tear lately, scoring 43 points against the Bulls, 32 against the 76ers, and 33 against the Timberwolves. He’s the only player in the NBA averaging at least 28 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 3-pointers per game.

“He’s been super consistent,” Porzingis told reporters. “Even a night like tonight, back to back, a tough back to back for him, just showing up for this team and playing high-level basketball, making the right plays.”

When asked if this game has any “extra motivation,” Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t hesitate.

“Absolutely,” he told reporters. “Absolutely. They won, and we’re trying to win. That will be a very, very fun basketball game.”

Williams chimed in as well, noting that it will serve as a barometer for the Thunder.

“They know what it takes to win at the highest level,” Williams said. “They’ve been going to the Finals. A lot of them have been going to the Finals and the playoffs for a long time. A lot of added extra motivation.”

The Celtics and Thunder have split their last four meetings, with each team prevailing twice at home.

Last year, the Thunder went 57-25 and earned the No. 1 seed. They swept the New Orleans Pelicans before falling to the Dallas Mavericks in six games.

Their head coach is from Leominster.

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault, who has coached the Thunder since 2020, grew up in Leominster and attended Leominster High.

Daigneault, 39, served as the men’s basketball student manager at the University of Connecticut. He was then an assistant coach at Holy Cross, where his father, Rick, played baseball.

Widely regarded as one of the best young coaches in the league, Daigneault has helped the Thunder blossom into legitimate contenders.