When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
The Boston Celtics‘ homestand and week got off to a bad start with an ugly loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves last Sunday night. Fortunately, they had two days off to reset and prepare for one of their biggest games of the season with the Oklahoma City Thunder coming to town.
The Thunder were on fire and riding a 12-game winning streak. They own the best record in the NBA and hadn’t lost in a month.
After going up by double digits in the first quarter, it looked like the defending champs might roll to a 13th straight win. However, the Celtics fought back and emerged with one of their biggest wins of the year, beating Oklahoma City 119-109 after a massive second half. It was the Thunder’s first loss by double digits since the All-Star Break.
The Atlanta Hawks had won 15 of their last 17 games
The Oklahoma City Thunder has won 15 of their last 16 games
The Celtics beat them both this week
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) March 28, 2026
Boston didn’t have much time to celebrate, however, with the surging Atlanta Hawks coming to town on Friday. The Hawks had won 15 of their last 17 games and were also one of the hottest teams in basketball.
Furthermore, the Celtics were without Jaylen Brown, who missed Friday’s contest with Achilles tendinitis. That meant Jayson Tatum would have to lead Boston and play without Brown for the first time this season.
Fortunately, Tatum and his teammates were up to the challenge. Again, the Celtics fell behind early, but again, they rallied in the second half and won the game, 109-102. Tatum stepped up in Brown’s absence with 26 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, while Payton Pritchard erupted for 36 points off the bench in one of his best games of the season.
Boston improved to 7-1 without Brown this season. It also managed to hang on to the second seed in the Eastern Conference despite facing two of the hottest teams in the league.
After winning six of their last seven games, the Celtics are proving they can beat anyone right now. Their last two wins should give them extra confidence and momentum heading into their four-game road trip, which kicks off on Sunday against another sizzling team in the Charlotte Hornets.
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