Jaylen Brown took over in the third quarter, scoring 14 of his 31 points to fuel a comeback as the Celtics rallied past the Thunder 119-109 on Wednesday night, snapping Oklahoma City’s 12-game winning streak.
After trailing early, Boston flipped the game behind Brown’s all-around performance. He added eight rebounds and eight assists, igniting a pivotal third-quarter surge that gave the Celtics an 88-83 lead entering the fourth.
Jayson Tatum bounced back from recent struggles with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists, helping Boston secure a split in the regular-season series between the last two NBA champions.
The Celtics pulled away in the final period, stretching their lead to as many as 14. Oklahoma City made one last push, cutting the deficit to 115-109 with 1:30 remaining, but Brown answered with a layup and Derrick White sealed it at the line with two free throws.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 33 points and eight assists, while Lu Dort added 14 points. Jalen Williams finished with seven points in his second game back after a lengthy absence due to a hamstring injury.
Despite their strong record, the Thunder struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 12-of-37 from three-point range, and were dominated in second-chance opportunities as Boston held a 19-2 advantage in those points.
Oklahoma City controlled the early action, jumping out to an 11-point lead after the first quarter. But the Celtics responded with a 29-15 run in the second to take their first lead at 49-46 and never fully lost control after Brown’s third-quarter explosion.
The win came in a highly anticipated rematch between two of the league’s top teams, both closer to full strength after key absences in their previous meeting two weeks earlier.
Up next: The Thunder return home to host the Chicago Bulls on Friday, while the Celtics will welcome the Atlanta Hawks the same night.
