Celtics' Kristaps Porzingis Embracing Next Chance to Face 'High-Level' Thunder After Loss

Matt Levine | Jan 6, 2025

Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Boston Celtics dropped a hard-fought game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday in what could be a potential NBA Finals preview. While Boston lost, they aren't making any excuses.

The Celtics acknowledged the talent of the Thunder after the game, praising how they played. Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis didn't shy away from the challenge of playing a team like the Thunder, instead embracing it.

“They’re a really good team, and it's always a good test to play against high-level teams. This kind of win is just going to give them more confidence. So it's not good, but we will have another opportunity later in the season.”

Kristaps Porzingis said the Thunder better than they were last year:

“They’re a really good team, and it's always a good test to play against high-level teams.”

“This kind of win is just going to give them more confidence. So it's not good, but we will have another opportunity… pic.twitter.com/8R0glB34l2

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) January 5, 2025

Boston was held to just 27 points in the second half of the game, the lowest total of the season. It was a poor offensive showing for the normally high-powered club.

Oklahoma City blitzed the Celtics following halftime and made life extremely tough. They took away shot attempts from Boston and caused the Celtics to look normal.

“They took some stuff away from us,” Porzingis said after a 19-point, nine-rebound effort. “We turned it over a little bit. They were a bit more aggressive, a bit more handsy. They forced some turnovers and they collapsed on us when we didn’t expect – kind of the stuff that they do well. And we just weren’t as sharp as we needed to be because we can make them pay for those overhelps, those reaches, those things that they do where they gamble a bit. We just didn’t make them pay.”

This was a good measuring test for the Celtics as the Thunder could be one of the teams that they would face in the NBA Finals. It's a long road before the NBA Finals are even thought about but Boston needed to see how they stack up against some of these teams.

While the Celtics are still considered one of the favorites to win it all, we have seen some lapses this year that we didn't see last season. This is normal for a title-winning team since the goal becomes solely focused on the postseason and much less so on the regular season.

The Celtics should be fine but this game against Oklahoma City can be a learning experience. The two teams will meet again in Boston in March.

More Celtics: Celtics Blockbuster Trade Proposal Moves $134M Guard For Star

Celtics Pick Up Perfect Complimentary Piece to Stars in New Mock Draft