On January 6, 2025, Beijing time, the Thunder with a record of 29 wins and 5 losses hosted the Celtics with a record of 26 wins and 9 losses. The Thunder currently ranks first in the West with a 14-game winning streak and remains undefeated against Eastern Conference teams this season. The Celtics, on the other hand, are the reigning NBA champions and are considered to have the best strength in the league today. Who will win this peak matchup? The Thunder's Chet and Caruso were absent, with the starting lineup being Alexander + Wallace + Dort + Jalen + Harten. The Celtics' Brown returned, with the starting lineup being Holiday + White + Brown + Tatum + Porzingis.
In the first quarter, Alexander scored the first 6 points for the Thunder, while Brown, Porzingis, and White responded together, giving the Celtics a 9-6 lead. Wallace, Harten, Alexander, and Jalen then took over, surpassing by 5 points. White and Tatum scored, to which Harten and Wallace responded, giving the Thunder a 6-point lead. Brown then scored 5 points in a row, to which Wallace responded with a layup, leaving a 3-point difference. Holiday, Brown, and Tatum then took the lead by 4 points, to which Wiggins, Alexander, and Isaiah Joe responded by taking the lead by 3 points. Horford and Hauser then made two consecutive three-pointers to take the lead by 3 points. Wiggins made a layup, and Tatum made both free throws, ending the first quarter with the Celtics leading 35-32.
In the second quarter, Wiggins made a three-pointer, leveling the score. Brown and Porzingis then scored 4 points in a row, to which Isaiah Joe responded with a three-pointer, leaving a 1-point difference. Porzingis then scored another 4 points, leaving a 5-point difference. Wiggins made another three-pointer, followed by Brown's 2+1 and Konaté's layup, leaving a 7-point difference. Jalen then made a mid-range shot and 1 out of 2 free throws, to which Brown and White responded strongly, bringing the difference to 10 points. Wallace and Kenwei then scored, to which Brown and White responded strongly, bringing the difference to 12 points. Alexander then made a 2+1, followed by Porzingis and Tatum scoring 4 points in a row, leaving a 13-point difference. Alexander then made a three-pointer, ending the half with the Celtics leading 65-55. Brown had 21 points in the first half, while Alexander had 17.
In the third quarter, Alexander scored 4 points in a row, reducing the difference to 6 points. Porzingis then scored 5 points in a row, expanding the difference to 11 points. Harten and Alexander then reduced the difference to 6 points, followed by Tatum scoring 4 points in a row, leaving a 10-point difference. Wallace and Jalen then scored, to which Konaté made a putback, leaving an 8-point difference. Dort, Alexander, and Wiggins then went on a 7-0 run, reducing the difference to 1 point. Tatum made a free throw, followed by Porzingis making a buzzer-beating mid-range shot, leaving a 4-point difference, ending the third quarter with the Celtics leading 80-76.
In the fourth quarter, the Celtics went more than three minutes without scoring, during which Wiggins, Jalen, and Wallace went on a 7-0 run, giving the Thunder a 3-point lead. Horford then made a three-pointer to level the score. Wallace made a layup, to which Tatum responded with a mid-range shot, leaving both sides tied at 85-85. Alexander then made both free throws and a three-pointer, followed by Dort stealing and dunking, giving the Thunder a 7-point lead. Tatum's fast break was blocked by Alexander, who then made a beautiful pass to Harten for an alley-oop dunk, giving the Thunder a 9-point lead. Tatum then made a three-pointer, followed by Dort making two consecutive three-pointers, leaving a 12-point difference with 2 minutes left in the game. Tatum then made both free throws, followed by Alexander making a mid-range shot, Tatum making both free throws, and Dort making another three-pointer, leaving a 13-point difference. Tatum missed his three-pointer attempt, after which the Thunder stopped attacking, ending the game with the Thunder defeating the Celtics 105-92, completing the reversal and achieving a new team record of 15 consecutive victories.
Tatum made 7 out of 17 shots, scoring 26 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals. Brown made 8 out of 19 shots, scoring 21 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists, but did not score in the second half. Porzingis scored 19 points and 9 rebounds, White scored 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists, and Horford scored 6 points and 8 rebounds.
Alexander made 11 out of 23 shots, scoring 33 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks, setting a new league record this season with 31 consecutive games scoring over 20 points. Jalen made 3 out of 10 shots, scoring 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Wiggins scored 15 points, 1 rebound, and 2 assists. Dort scored 14 points and 6 rebounds. Harten scored 8 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks. Wallace scored 13 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals.
The Thunder, missing Chet and Caruso, defeated the full-strength Celtics with their outstanding defense. The Celtics made only 9 out of 46 three-point attempts, with a shooting percentage of 19.6%, and had 16 turnovers. The Thunder has shown its terrifying strength by reversing victories against the Knicks and Celtics in their last two games. They have the ability to top the NBA this season, significantly changing the league landscape.