Boston Celtics vs Oklahoma City Thunder Match Player Stats On Nov 03, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Nov 4, 2017

OKLAHOMA CITY -- It was easy to forget about Kyrie Irving in the first half of the Boston Celtics' 101-94 win against Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday

The Celtics guard had only three points on a single field goal and went without an assist in the first two quarters.

But he erupted in the second half to finish with 25 points and help his team rally from a double-digit deficit to record a seventh straight win.

With just about four minutes left in the game, Irving launched a 3-pointer and was fouled by Thunder guard Russell Westbrook.

The shot dropped through the net, and though Irving missed the ensuing foul shot, he collected his rebound and put it up for another two points. That gave the Celtics a six-point lead.

Later, with less than 10 seconds to play, Irving hit a layup to seal the win.

Irving scored 15 of his points in the fourth quarter. Forward Al Horford also made big contributions and finished with 20 points.

Paul George led the Thunder with 25 points, while Westbrook had 19 points, six rebounds and 11 assists.

Oklahoma City played perhaps its best defensive half of the season to open the game, holding Boston (7-2) to just 37 points and a 31 percent shooting performance. But the defense faltered in the third quarter.

The Thunder led by as many as 18 in the first half, but the Celtics opened the second half with an 11-3 run as the Thunder went 3 of 10 from the field in the same span.

Boston outscored Oklahoma City 30-16 in the third and 34-23 in the fourth.

The Thunder (4-4) had opportunities to pull away in the second quarter but couldn't stop Boston's Jayson Tatum. The rookie added seven of his 13 points in the second quarter.

Oklahoma City's offense hummed along in the first quarter, with the Thunder shooting 52 percent from the floor and 50 percent from beyond the arc.

NOTES: Thunder G Russell Westbrook was called for a Flagrant One foul after hitting Celtics G Jaylen Brown in the face during a jump ball in the first half. ... Celtics F Marcus Morris made his season debut in the first quarter after missing the first eight games. He missed the start of training camp while on trial for aggravated assault in Arizona, and after being acquitted, Morris was held out of early regular season games to get in back in playing shape. ... Celtics F Al Horford gave Billy Donovan a big hug before tipoff. Donovan coached Horford at Florida. ... Thunder C Steven Adams got into the holiday spirit early, wearing a 'Rick and Morty' cartoon Christmas sweater to the arena before the game. ... Both teams return to action on Sunday when the Celtics travel to Orlando and the Thunder head to Portland.