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

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.