Oklahoma
Boston Celtics (26-9) at Oklahoma City Thunder (29-5) Game #36 1/5/25
In what very well may be a preview of this year’s NBA Finals, the Celtics take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 3rd game of a 4 game road trip. The Celtics opened the trip with wins over the Timberwolves and the Rockets. this is the first of 2 games between these two teams this season. They will meet for the 2nd and final time in Boston on March 12. They split the series 1-1 the last two seasons with each team winning on their home court. The Celtics are 79-66 overall all time against the Thunder and they are 39-38 in games played in Oklahoma City.
The Celtics remain 2nd in the East, 4.5 games behind the first place Cleveland Cavaliers, who have win their last 8 games. The Celtics are now 2 ahead of the 3rd place Knicks, who won 9 straight before losing their last game to the Thunder. The Celtics are 12-3 on the road and they are 6-4 in their last 10 games. They are 4-2 against Western Conference opponents and have won their last 3 games.
The Thunder are in first place in the West. They are 6.5 games ahead of 2nd place Memphis and 7 ahead of 3rd place Houston. They are 9 games ahead of the 4th place Los Angeles Lakers. They are 15-2 at home and they are 10-0 in their last 10 games. They are 10-0 against Eastern Conference opponents and they currently have a 14 game win streak.
The Thunder made several key moves in the off season. The biggest move may have been signing Isaiah Hartenstein away from the NY Knicks. He has especially been important due to the absence of Chet Holmgren. They also traded Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso. They drafted Nikola Topic, who will miss the entire season with a torn ACL. They also drafted Dillon Jones and Ajay Mitchell, with an eye to the future. Finally, they signed undrafted Alex Ducas to a 2 way contract.
This is the third game of a 4 game Western road trip that started with back to back wins in Minnesota on Thursday and in Houston on Friday. After this game, they will finish the road trip in Denver on Tuesday. They will return home to face 2 more Western Conference teams, Sacramento and New Orleans. They then head to Toronto to face the Raptors again for the 3rd time. They will then host Orlando and Atlanta before their 2nd Western road trip of the month through Golden State, Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers and Dallas.
Kristaps Porzingis returned to the starting lineup in the Celtics’ last game against the Rockets after missing 4 straight games with a sprained ankle. He should be ready to play in this game as well. Al Horford sat out Friday’s game for rest but is expected to return for this game. Jalen Brown has missed the Celtics’ last two games with a shoulder strain and is questionable for this game. I’m using wishful thinking and including him in the starting lineup. If he can’t play once again, Sam Hauser should once again get the start in his place.
For the Thunder, Alex Caruso will miss his 7th game with a hip strain. Cason Wallace will likely continue to start in his place. Chet Holmgren is out with a right iliac hip fracture. I expect Isaiah Hartenstein will continue to start in his place. The Thunder’s 3 two way players are all also out with injuries. Alex Ducas (back), Adam Flagler (finger), and Ajay Mitchell (toe) are all out for this game. Rookie Nikola Topic is out for the season with an ACL tear.
Probable Celtics Starters
PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Derrick White
SF: Jaylen Brown
PF: Jayson Tatum
C: Kristaps Porzingis
Celtics Reserves
Luke Kornet
Payton Pritchard
Neemias Queta
Sam Hauser
Baylor Scheierman
Jaden Springer
Xavier Tillman, Sr
Jordan Walsh
2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Anton Watson
Injuries/Out
Jaylen Brown (shoulder) questionable
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Probable Thunder Starters
PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
SG: Cason Wallace
SF: Lugentz Dort
PF: Jalen Williams
C: Isaiah Hartenstein
Thunder Reserves
Branden Carlson
Ousmane Dieng
Isaiah Joe
Dillon Jones
Aaron Wiggins
Jaylin Williams
Kenrich Williams
2 Way Players
Alex Ducas
Adam Flagler
Ajay Mitchell
Injuries/Out
Alex Caruso (hip) out
Alex Ducas (back) out
Ajay Mitchell (toe) out
Chet Holmgren (hip) out
Adam Flagler (finger) out
Nikola Topic (ACL) out
Head Coach
Mark Daigneault
Key Matchups
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Jrue Holiday
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Jrue Holiday vs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. He is shooting 52.5% from the field and 35.6% from beyond the arc. Gilgeous-Alexander is tied for the lead in the MVP race and is the key to the Thunder’s winning ways. In order to slow the Thunder, the Celtics must slow down SGA.
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Photo by David Berding/Getty Images
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Jalen Williams
Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images
Jayson Tatum vs Jalen Williams
Williams is averaging 20.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game. He is shooting 48.1% from the field and 35.3% from beyond the arc. Williams can score both inside and out and so the Celtics must stay with him on defense whether he is in the paint or on the perimeter. Jayson Tatum has been playing very well on this road trip and the Celtics need him to continue that trend on both ends of the court in this game.
Honorable Mention
Kristaps Porzingis vs Isaiah Hartenstein
Hartenstein is averaging 12.2 points, 12.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game. He is shooting 57.3% from the field and 0% from beyond the arc. He is a threat to score inside and is a very good rebounder and shot blocker. The Celtics need to keep him out of the paint and away from the rim.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is always a key to winning. The Thunder average 115.4 points per game (10th) The Celtics average 119.4 points per game (4th). This is going to be a tough matchup for the Celtics as the Thunder are first in the league with a defensive rating of 102.9 while the Celtics are 6th with a defensive rating of 109.4. The Celtics need to tighten up their defense and make playing defense a priority especially against this Thunder team that plays lock down defense. The Celtics need to especially defend the paint since the Thunder are 10th in the league with 49.9 points in the paint per game.
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 18th with 43.6 rebounds per game while the Celtics are 8th with 45.0 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 23.4 points off turnovers per game. They are also 1st with 11.8 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 have not lost to an Eastern Conference team this season. They have also only lost 5 games. 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.
X-Factors
On the Road – The Celtics are playing in their 3rd straight road game. The Celtics have the advantage of having a mostly healthy roster but then, the Thunder have won 14 straight games in spite of missing some players. 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.
Coaching – Joe Mazzulla led the Celtics to a championship in just his second season but Mazzulla didn’t win the Coach of the Year last season. It was Thunder coach, Mark Daigneault that won the Coach of the Year honor. He is also the Coach of the Month for December this season. Both rosters are deep and talented and so coaching may be a factor in this game.
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. The Celtics should never be caught complaining to the refs while the other team goes in for a score.
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The Tennessee Volunteers played one of their more important games of the college football season on Saturday night, as they played one of their most important and most beneficial home games of the season, as the Tennessee Vols played against the Oklahoma Sooners. This is a game that the Vols were expected to win, but that was not the case for the game outcome, as the Vols walked away from the game with a loss. The Tennessee Volunteers lost the game in front of their home crowd, and this was their second loss in program history with their black uniforms. This is something that hasn’t been very common, but even through those superstitions, things still can go south.
This team didn’t show up the way that many hoped they would, but even in that same breath, the Oklahoma Sooners didn’t either. However, the Sooners showed up more than the Vols did, as the Vols walked away with a loss.
This performance caught the attention of many, including one of the main players who used to play for the Tennessee Volunteers. That player is Daniel Bituli, who is known for not keeping his thoughts to himself, as he isn’t afraid of letting his thoughts be known. This is something that has been noticed throughout the season with Bituli, as he made it clear how he feels during the game.
Here is what the Tennessee fan and former player had to say about the Vols during the game against the Oklahoma Sooners.
Volsfootball1217 0180 / Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel, Knoxville News Sentinel via Imagn Content Services, LLC
“Respectfully, some of our guys are acting soft asf.”
While this team has lost three games it is safe to say that some expectations has still been exceeded. Let’s remember that the Vols lost a lot of players to the transfer portal. One of the players being Nico Iamaleava, who was all but confirmed to be the starting QB for the Vols this season.
The Vols have been looking to improve what they have built, but the real work has yet to be finished, as this is a young team with a llot of returning pieces. The Vols have an exciting future, but they will need to continue to get better, and in the opinion of former Tennessee Volunteers linebacker Daniel Bituli, the Vols need to fix some of these acts that they have been having such as acting soft.
This is a team with a lot of positives, and some negatives to go with it, but this season if far from over as the Tennessee Vols have three regular season games and a post season bowl game ahead of them.
Tennessee football didn’t need as many points as its high-scoring offense often produces at Neyland Stadium. But the Vols needed more than they got against an aggressive, turnover-forcing Oklahoma defense Nov. 1.
The upset result was disastrous for a team seemingly on course for back-to-back berths in the 12-team College Football Playoff.
The No. 14 Vols (6-3, 3-3 SEC) can forget the playoffs. And they might want to shelf those Dark Mode uniforms given the final score – 33-27 Oklahoma’s way.
The all-black look wasn’t even the oddest attire on this evening. Tate Sandell was wearing as tiny a pair of shorts as you will ever see on a football field when he helped kick Tennessee out of the playoffs with field goals of 55, 55, 51 and 40 yards.
Sandell kicked the longest. But Oklahoma’s elite defense kicked hard, too.
The No. 18 Sooners (7-2, 3-2), who lead the SEC in fewest points and yards allowed per game, intercepted two passes when usually reliable Joey Aguilar threw into double coverage. Those interceptions and returns set up two of Sandell’s field goals.
But Oklahoma’s first score was more memorable. Aguilar fumbled when struck by the Sooners’ fierce pass rush, and R. Mason Thomas returned the recovery 71 yards for a touchdown. The score was costly since Thomas apparently strained an hamstring and was unable to return.
That set the tone of a game in where the defenses frequently had the upper-hand even though both teams had to weather the loss of multiple defenders to injury.
Oklahoma needed every bit of its kicking and defense to keep its playoff hopes alive, because its offense little support for much of the game.
Never mind how many opponents rolled up so many points and so much yardage against UT’s usually vulnerable defense. That same defense wasn’t on its heels so much against the Sooners.
The Sooners’ pedestrian offense consisted mainly of Washington State transfer John Mateer scrambling, running and completing short passes.
That worked well in the first few weeks of the season before Mateer broke a bone in his throwing hand against Auburn. He rushed back to action just 17 days after surgery but hasn’t been nearly as effective since. But he managed to lead the Sooners on a touchdown drive in the third quarter.
That was enough the way Oklahoma defense was knocking the Vols around.
Coach Josh Heupel’s high-flying offense hasn’t run into a defense of this caliber all season. The Sooners repeatedly delivered jarring highlight hits even when they didn’t force a turnover. And they didn’t tire despite all the time they were on the field in the first half when Tennessee outgained Oklahoma 255 to 90 yards.
But yardage didn’t matter as much in this game as game-turning defensive plays. Finaly, Tennessee managed one of its own.
Linebacker Edwin Spillman intercepted an ill-advised Mateer pass with 4:18 to play, and Oklahoma threatening to run out the clock.
Aguilar ran and passed the Vols from their 45 to the Oklahoma 15 before throwing his third touchdown pass of the game – 15 yards to Mike Matthews. That left the Vols down by two points with 1:56 to play.
An onside kick took a tricky bounce, but Oklahoma recovered. One play later, Xavier Robinson ran 43 yards to the 1-yard-line, where he thought it would be a good idea to go down and run more clock. Mateer thought differently and ran over the goal line on the next play to clinch the victory.
The Vols left the field in their Dark Mode uniforms on the darkest regular-season night of the past two seasons. And, as what was left of the Tennessee crowd left, too, it probably was missing those traditional orange and white uniforms more than ever.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com.
The margin for error is gone for both Oklahoma and Tennessee.
The No. 14-ranked Volunteers host the No. 18 Sooners on Saturday with both teams looking to stay alive in the College Football Playoff race.
Both programs are 6-2 overall. All losses have come in SEC play, meaning the winner on Saturday night at Neyland Stadium will still need help to get to Atlanta. But whoever emerges victorious will be in a great position when the season’s first CFP rankings drop on Tuesday.
Brent Venables’ defense will have its hands full yet again, this time facing Josh Heupel’s offense one week after matching wits with Lane Kiffin.
If the Sooners win these three matchups, they’ll have a great chance to notch another legendary win in Knoxville.
Tennessee’s defense isn’t quite Alex Grinch’s “Speed D”, but Tim Banks’ unit will look familiar to OU fans.
Given time to work in the pocket, opposing quarterbacks have shredded the Tennessee secondary.
The Vols are allowing 266.3 passing yards per game this season, which enters the week ranked 122nd in the FBS.
Teams have been able to throw and score on Tennessee, but not due to a lack of pressure.
The Volunteers average 3.4 sacks per game, which ranks sixth in the country.
Dominic Bailey and Joshua Josephs have done most of the damage for Tennessee this year. Bailey leads the team with 4.5 sacks, and he’s closely followed by four sacks from Josephs.
True freshman Ryan Fodje performed admirably last week for the Sooners. When Derek Simmons went down, he bumped from guard to right tackle to make his first-career start after working for just two days at tackle.
Across from him, fellow true freshman Michael Fasusi protects John Mateer’s blind side.
Saturday night, Fasusi and Fodje will face a massive test.
Not only will they be tasked with blocking productive pass rushers, they’ll have to do it in a deafening environment.
Regardless of whether Heath Ozaeta or Eddy Pierre-Louis starts beside Fasusi, the Sooners will start a pair of underclassmen on the left side of the line.
If OU’s line can hold up on the edge, then Mateer should have a clear enough picture to take advantage of Tennessee’s secondary.
If not, it could be a long night for Oklahoma.
For their part, the Volunteer offensive line has kept quarterback Joey Aguilar clean.
The Vols are 20th in sacks allowed per game, which has helped the offense rank third in first downs per game, third in passing offense and second in scoring offense in 2025.
Oklahoma needs star defensive end R Mason Thomas to have a good night. Add in a strong showing from Taylor Wein, who continues to grow into the season, and the Sooners could put real pressure on Aguilar.
Wein ranks second in the SEC with 11 tackles for loss and he has 3.5 sacks through eight games.
Lance Heard has started every game at left tackle for the Volunteers this year, and while Venables moves his defensive linemen all over the field, Wein will get plenty of chances to battle Heard on Saturday night.
Tennessee defensive back Colton Hood missed time against Kentucky due to a reported calf injury.
He was not listed on the availability report this week, signaling he should be good to go on Saturday.
Isaiah Sategna, Deion Burks and Javonnie Gibson will hope to test Hood and see if there are any lingering effects from the injury.
Burks and Sategna’s speed could be crucial if Hood is half a step slow, assuming Mateer delivers the ball on time on Saturday night.
If the OU quarterback can’t shake off last week’s poor showing against Mississippi, it might not matter who the Vols have in the secondary.
Mateer missed plenty of open receivers in last week’s loss to the Rebels, something he hopes to make right at Neyland Stadium.
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