Boston Celtics (43-21) at Oklahoma City Thunder (51-15)
Thursday, March 12, 2026
9:30 PM ET
Game #66, Road Game #35
TV: Prime Video
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WWLS/WKY, Sirius XM
Paycom Center
Boston, MA
Boston Celtics (43-21) at Oklahoma City Thunder (51-15) Game #66 3/12/26
The Celtics complete their 3 game road trip with a stop in Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder. The Celtics won the first game in Cleveland on Sunday and then lost to the Spurs on Tuesday night. The Thunder haven’t played since Monday. This is the first of 2 meetings between these 2 teams this season. They will meet for the final time in Boston on March 25. The Celtics are 47-59 against the Thunder overall all time and they are 22-30 in games played in Oklahoma City.
The Thunder won the Championship last season and in the off season, they did very little to change their team. They made no trades and brought in no new players. They lost Dillon Jones who went to the Wizards. They did re-sign Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Jaylin Williams and Ajay Mitchell. At the trade deadline, They traded picks to Philadelphia for Jared McCain and they traded Ousmane Dieng to Charlotte for Mason Plumlee, who they waived.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 3.5 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are 2 games ahead of 3rd place New York , 3.5 games ahead of 4th place Cleveland, 6.5 games ahead of 5th place Orlando and 6th place Miami and 7 games ahead of 7th place Toronto. The Celtics are 15-8 against Western Conference opponents. They are 22-12 on the road and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a loss in their last game. (The Knicks, Cavs, and Raptors are playing as I write this so that may change.)
The Thunder are 1st in the West, 2.5 games ahead of 2nd place San Antonio, 10 games ahead of 3rd place Houston, 10.5 games ahead of the 4th place Lakers and 5th place Minnesota, 11.5 games ahead of 6th place Denver and 12.5 games ahead of 7th place Phoenix. They are 15-6 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 27-6 at home and 9-1 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 5 games.
After this game at Oklahoma City the Celtics will head home where they will host Washington, Phoenix and Golden State. Next, it is one game at Memphis before a 3 game home stand against Minnesota, Oklahoma City and Atlanta. Then it’s back on the road for a 4 game trip through Charlotte, Atlanta, Miami and Milwaukee. They will then play two games at home against Toronto and Charlotte before one game on the road at New York. They will finish the season with 2 games at home against New Orleans and Orlando.
The Celtics may be shorthanded in this game with 4 players listed on the injury report at this time. The good news is that Payton Pritchard has been upgraded to available. Jayson Tatum is out for injury management after playing the last 3 games they may want to monitor his workload. Derrick White is listed as questionable due to a right knee contusion. Nikola Vucevic is out due to surgery on his injured finger. I have no idea who will start if both Tatum and White are out. I made a wild guess it will be Sheierman and Harper, Jr.
The Thunder may also be shorthanded for this game. Isaiah Hartenstein will miss a third straight game due to a bruised left calf. Jalen Williams is listed as out due to a strained right hamstring. Thomas Sorber is out for the season with a torn ACL. Brandon Carlson has been ruled out for a seventh straight game due to a back strain. Once again, I really don’t know who will start for the Thunder but took a guess at it.
Probable Starting Matchups
PG: Baylor Scheierman vs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
SG: Ron Harper, Jr vs Cason Wallace
SF: Jaylen Brown vs Luguentz Dort
PF: Sam Hauser vs Jaylin Williams
C: Neemias Queta vs Chet Holmgren
Celtics Reserves
Payton Pritchard
Hugo Gonzalez
Luka Garza
Amare Williams
Jordan Walsh
2-Way Players
Ron Harper, Jr
Max Shulga
John Tonje
Injuries/Out
Nikola Vucevic (finger) out
Payton Pritchard (neck) available
Jayson Tatum (injury management) out
Derrick White (knee) questionable
Thunder Reserves
Branden Carlson
Alex Caruso
Isaiah Joe
Jared McCain
AJay Mitchell
Aaron Wiggins
Kenrich Williams
2 Way Players
Brooks Barnhizer
Branden Carlson
Payton Sandfort
Injuries/Out
Branden Carlson (back) out
Thomas Sorber (ACL) out
Nikola Topic (G-League) out
Jalen Williams (hamstring) out
Head Coach
Mark Daigneault
Key Matchups
Baylor Scheierman vs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He is shooting 55.1% from the field and 38.3% from beyond the arc. Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning MVP and is one of the leaders to win it once again this season. He is the key to the Thunder’s winning ways. In order to slow the Thunder, the Celtics must slow down SGA. I’m just guessing that Scheierman will start at the point but White may play and it’s possible that Joe will go with someone else to start here.
Neemias Queta vs Chet Holmgren
Holmgren is averaging 17.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.9 blocks per game. He is shooting 55.2% from the field and 35.6% from beyond the arc. Holmgren is a threat to grab rebounds and block shots near the basket and the Celtics need to try to keep him out of the paint. He can also hit threes and so the Celtics need to stay with him on the perimeter as well.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is always the biggest key to winning. This is going to be a tough matchup for the Celtics as the Thunder are first in the league with a defensive rating of 106.2 while the Celtics are 5th with a defensive rating of 111.8. The Celtics need to tighten up their defense and make playing defense a priority especially against this Thunder team that plays lock down defense. It will be even harder for the Celtics on defense if both Derrick White and Jayson Tatum are out.
Rebound – Rebounding is also a key to winning. The Celtics need to rebound on the defensive end to keep the Thunder from getting second chance points and they need to rebound on the offensive end to give themselves extra possessions. The Thunder are 15th with 43.8 rebounds per game while the Celtics are 5th with 46.3 rebounds per game. Much of rebounding is desire and effort and the Celtics as a team have to put in the extra effort to grab rebounds.
Take Care of the Ball – The Celtics need to keep their focus and not turn the ball over. The Thunder are 1st in the league with 22.1 points off turnovers per game. They are also 4th with 9.7 steals per game. The Celtics have to move the ball because they are a much better team when they move the ball and don’t over dribble. But they must focus and make careful passes and not get sloppy. They also have to be aware when dribbling the ball so as not to allow the Thunder to get steals. The Thunder will make them pay if they get sloppy and turn the ball over.
Be Focused and Ready for a Tough Game – The Thunder are a very good team and they play exceptional defense. The Celtics have to be ready to go to the basket if they struggle from three. They also have to be ready to shoot from midrange if both the paint and the perimeter are defended tightly. The Celtics must stay focused on playing hard for 48 minutes and on playing tough defense and on playing the right way. They can’t afford to let the Thunder play harder than them.
X-Factors
On the Road – The Celtics are playing in their 3rd straight road game. The Thunder have the advantage of being at home in front of their fans and they have great fans. The Celtics need to overcome the distractions of travel and playing on the road in front of hostile fans. This is also the final game of a road trip and those are among the toughest games to win as the team is road weary and sometimes focus isn’t where it should be because of it.
Officiating – Officiating is always an x-factor. How the refs call the game has a big influence on how the teams play. Will they let them play or call every little bit of contact? Will they call it evenly or will they favor one team or the other. It all effects the outcome of the game and the Celtics need to play the right way and not allow the officiating to take them out of their game. They can’t let bad calls and no calls take away their focus.
The World Cup economic windfall boosting Boston gives rise to a question: Could the Hub host the Olympics?
Certainly Bostonians have more than risen to the occasion in terms of welcoming international visitors to our city and showing them a good time (and vice versa, Tartan Army). But it takes more than great hosts and a convivial atmosphere to pull off an epic sporting event.
It takes money, lots of it, political transparency, and a process open to public scrutiny and feedback. In other words, no, we couldn’t.
Public reception to the 2014 Olympics bid was tepid at best, as it would entail multiple construction projects. And when big construction projects are presented in Boston, taxpayers get suspicious. Big Dig, anyone?
Boston 24 announced it estimated the Games would produce at least $4.8 billion in revenues from television broadcast rights, ticket sales, corporate sponsorships and other revenues, the Associated Press reported. They assumed nearly $4.6 billion in costs, including $176 million for a temporary Olympic Stadium, $90 million for the athletes’ village, about $754 million to build other Olympic venues and another $132 million to rent other locations.
They reportedly announced all this to answer critics who said the privately funded Boston 2024 withheld details of the bid to prevent the public from assessing whether the Games could be staged, as promised, without the need for taxpayer money.
We learned the answer to that soon enough.
In this case, as the Herald reported that year, details from Boston 2024’s so-called bid book indicated that plans sent to the U.S. Olympic Committee called for the Hub to fund “land acquisition and infrastructure costs” at Widett Circle, where a temporary Olympic stadium was being proposed. It came after months of promises that the group planned to run a privately funded Olympics.
“They’ve been saying for months, ‘No taxpayer (money),’ ” said Evan Falchuk, a vocal bid critic who pushed for a statewide ballot question on hosting the games. “Then you read what they told the USOC. … It’s a devastating blow to their credibility. There’s a reason why voters don’t trust what they’ve heard and (Boston 2024 has) got a lot of work to do to earn that trust.”
And all this talk of money came before any cost overruns made an appearance. London’s budget for the 2012 Summer Games escalated by about 300%, ending somewhere in the $14 billion range. What were the chances we’d fare any better?
No wonder Bostonians gave the Olympics idea the cold shoulder.
But what of the city’s World Cup success story? For starters, Gillette Stadium is already built, and the only large element requiring a cash infusion was the MBTA, which shelled out $35 million to upgrade Foxboro Station in advance of the Cup. They’ll make a nice chunk of that back, as the T spiked round-trip Commuter Rail ticket prices between South Station and Gillette Stadium for fútbol fans to $80.
In this case, Bostonians are on the winning side, reaping benefits from free-spending (and thirsty) visitors, and reveling in the good vibes.
It would be great for the city if megaprojects, or even minor ones, came with the guarantee of financial transparency before shovels hit the dirt. Optimists should look at White Stadium before calling it a day.
Boston, MA
With Columbia Threadneedle out, Boston Triathlon director is looking for a new sponsor – The Boston Globe
Michael O’Neil is on the hunt for the next John Hancock.
As many Boston sports fans know, the insurance company first sponsored the Boston Marathon 40 years ago, helping usher in the modern professional era of the race as well as tens of millions of dollars in community fund-raising each year.
O’Neil wants to make a similar leap for the race he runs, the Boston Triathlon. This will be the first year without a naming-rights sponsor after nine years with Ameriprise Financial-owned Columbia Threadneedle Investments. O’Neil is seeking a successor that can help make an impact on the race the way Hancock once did with the marathon, a sponsorship role now played by Bank of America.
“We’re looking for that next transformational partner that wants to do something like that,” O’Neil said.
The 18-year-old triathlon draws nearly 2,500 athletes to Carson Beach in South Boston each August, for sprint and Olympic-distance triathlons, and also features free kids’ races the day before at the same location; Amazon has been a big sponsor for the “Kids Day” events.
O’Neil says he would like to extend the race beyond loops in South Boston to showcase more of the city and boost tourism; the Meet Boston tourism bureau is also among the race’s sponsors. Another hope of O’Neil’s: to continue community efforts that he and his race management firm, Ethos, undertook with support from Columbia Threadneedle, including donations to Boston Medical Center and the city’s “Swim Safe” program to provide swim lessons for kids. (O’Neil started an affiliated nonprofit to help expand this community work in 2024.)
He expects the race’s naming-rights sponsorship to cost “in the mid-six figures” annually.
“We’re over this hump now, after 18 years, we’re an institution,” O’Neil said. “We’re seeking a Boston-based company, that’s headquartered here or has a large presence here, that wants to make an impact on the community. … We know how to do that.”
This is an installment of our weekly Bold Types column about the movers and shakers on Boston’s business scene.
Jon Chesto can be reached at jon.chesto@globe.com. Follow him @jonchesto.
Although it is just June 22, it’s certainly starting to seem like the Boston Red Sox could end up being sellers later on this summer when the 2026 Major League Baseball trade deadline gets here.
Boston took two out of three games from the Seattle Mariners over the weekend, but still finds itself 13 games under .500 at 31-44. Right now, Boston is six games out of an American League Wild Card spot as well. Boston needs a long winning streak to turn the tide. If not, the club will certainly trade pieces away. The conversation has gotten loud enough around the team that Red Sox starter Sonny Gray said he “would be open” to having a conversation about waiving his no-trade clause if someone from the club approached him about it to Tim Healey of The Boston Globe.
“If someone came to me from the Red Sox and made a decision that that’s the direction that this team was going to go, I would be open for a conversation,” Gray said to Healey. “Whatever happens from then, only time will tell. But I would be open for a conversation.
Could Sonny Gray Be The Next Star Out Of Boston?
“Holding veto power is ‘an earned thing’ and means a lot, Gray said. He negotiated it into the three-year, $75 million deal he signed with the Cardinals heading into 2024.”
When it comes to Gray, he has been a major addition for Boston so far this season. He has a 3.12 ERA in 13 starts to go along with a 55-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 69 1/3 innings pitched. Gray is also 8-1 on the season. Even in a campaign full of losses for Boston, Gray has been able to consistently be a stopper for the club.
If he were to become available, he would be an intriguing, although imperfect trade candidate. From a talent perspective, he’s awesome and would help a contender. But from a contract point of view, he has a $30 million mutual option for the 2027 season with a $10 million buyout. Mutual options rarely get picked up. The buyout is very high and could be a barrier. That will be a bridge to cross later on, though. What’s important to note right now is the fact that Gray is “open” to a conversation about a trade. It doesn’t mean that it will happen, but it’s possible.
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