Oklahoma City's Rigor Tested in Impending Celtics-Thunder Showcase

The Oklahoma City Thunder's ability to overcome will again be tested on the road in Boston on Wednesday night.

Jan 5, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) moves the ball around Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (4) during the fourth quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder stumbled to the Denver Nuggets in similar fashion to which they beat them the day prior, finalizing the two teams' season series at two wins apiece.

Both games played at home, the Thunder carried all the momentum from its fourth-quarter wash-out of the Nuggets on Sunday afternoon into the next game on Monday evening. Momentum alone couldn't carry them out of the defensive hole they dug themselves, showcasing a stark contrast from one game to the next in a playoff-esque scenario.

Earlier in February following the NBA All-Star break, the Thunder fell victim to nearly the same situation against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Winning on the road against Minnesota in just its second game out of the break, and turning around and giving up a 25-point lead at home the following day to the Timberwolves.

Oklahoma City has a weak spot, just not many teams have been able to find it.

Against Denver, that weak spot simply came in a lack of offensive firepower while the Nuggets caught absolute fire from deep and from the field in its entirery, as the Nuggets shot over 56% from three and 60% overall. The Thunder amassed its same amount of points in each game with 127, but Jamal Murray catching fire with others following suit was too much for the Oklahoma City crowd to drown out.

Now, Oklahoma City looks ahead to a road game against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night, the second team in the East.

The Thunder took a 13-point victory in the teams' first meeting on the season, as the team will be looking to grab this season series to close it out. Though, Oklahoma CIty's resolve will again be tested. And coming off a relatively bad loss at home, the Thunder should hope to snag this one before heading to Detroit to take on the Pistons on Saturday.

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