Game ID: 22500959
Boston Celtics @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Thursday, March 12, 2026 at 9:30 PM ET
Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
OKC 27 29 24 24 104BOS 28 31 24 19 102
BOS @ OKC ScoutingBOS @ OKC Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
OKC availability going into 3/03 · 1 day's restOUT Jal. Williams missed 7 since 2/12, out tonight
OUT Mitchell missed 17 since 1/23, out tonight
OUT Carlson missed 2 since 2/27, out tonight
BACK Gilgeous-Alexande back 2/27 after 9, 34 min since (100% of 34)
NEW Wallace 26 to 33 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 3/04 · back-to-backOUT Jal. Williams missed 8 since 2/12, out tonight
OUT Mitchell missed 18 since 1/23, out tonight
OUT Carlson missed 3 since 2/27, out tonight
BACK Gilgeous-Alexande back 2/27 after 9, 34 min since (100% of 34)
NEW Wallace 26 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW J. Williams 19 to 26 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 3/07 · 2 days' restOUT Jal. Williams missed 9 since 2/12, out tonight
OUT Mitchell missed 19 since 1/23, out tonight
OUT Sandfort missed 2 since 3/03, out tonight
OUT Carlson missed 4 since 2/27, out tonight
BACK Gilgeous-Alexande back 2/27 after 9, 34 min since (102% of 34)
NEW J. Williams 19 to 26 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 3/09 · 1 day's restOUT Jal. Williams missed 10 since 2/12, out tonight
OUT Mitchell missed 20 since 1/23, returns tonight: 29 min (112% of 26)
OUT Sandfort missed 3 since 3/03, out tonight
OUT Carlson missed 5 since 2/27, out tonight
BACK Gilgeous-Alexande back 2/27 after 9, 34 min since (102% of 34)
NEW Joe 20 to 26 min over the last 5
NEW J. Williams 19 to 26 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 3/12 · 2 days' restOUT Holmgren missed 2 since 3/07, returns tonight: 28 min (98% of 29)
OUT Jal. Williams missed 11 since 2/12, out tonight
OUT Hartenstein missed 2 since 3/07, out tonight
OUT Caruso missed 2 since 3/07, returns tonight: 23 min (118% of 19)
OUT Sandfort missed 4 since 3/03, out tonight
OUT Carlson missed 6 since 2/27, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 3/09 after 20, 29 min since (112% of 26)
NEW Joe 20 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW J. Williams 19 to 28 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 3/15 · 2 days' restOUT Jal. Williams missed 12 since 2/12, out tonight
OUT Hartenstein missed 3 since 3/07, returns tonight: 21 min (85% of 24)
OUT Sandfort missed 5 since 3/03, out tonight
OUT Carlson missed 7 since 2/27, out tonight
BACK Holmgren back 3/12 after 2, 28 min since (98% of 29)
BACK Mitchell back 3/09 after 20, 30 min since (113% of 26)
BACK Caruso back 3/12 after 2, 23 min since (118% of 19)
NEW Joe 20 to 27 min over the last 5
NEW J. Williams 19 to 29 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 3/17 · 1 day's restOUT Jal. Williams missed 13 since 2/12, out tonight
OUT Sandfort missed 6 since 3/03, out tonight
OUT K. Williams missed 2 since 3/12, out tonight
OUT Carlson missed 8 since 2/27, out tonight
BACK Holmgren back 3/12 after 2, 30 min since (104% of 29)
BACK Mitchell back 3/09 after 20, 29 min since (110% of 26)
BACK Hartenstein back 3/15 after 3, 21 min since (85% of 24)
BACK Caruso back 3/12 after 2, 22 min since (116% of 19)
NEW Joe 20 to 25 min over the last 5
NEW J. Williams 19 to 26 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 3/18 · back-to-backOUT Jal. Williams missed 14 since 2/12, out tonight
OUT Sandfort missed 7 since 3/03, returns tonight: 5 min (30% of 16)
OUT K. Williams missed 3 since 3/12, returns tonight: 21 min (151% of 14)
OUT Carlson missed 9 since 2/27, out tonight
BACK Holmgren back 3/12 after 2, 31 min since (107% of 29)
BACK Mitchell back 3/09 after 20, 29 min since (109% of 26)
BACK Hartenstein back 3/15 after 3, 18 min since (77% of 24)
BACK Caruso back 3/12 after 2, 23 min since (118% of 19)
NEW J. Williams 19 to 26 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 3/21 · 2 days' restOUT Jal. Williams missed 15 since 2/12, out tonight
OUT Carlson missed 10 since 2/27, out tonight
BACK Holmgren back 3/12 after 2, 29 min since (99% of 29)
BACK Mitchell back 3/09 after 20, 28 min since (105% of 26)
BACK Hartenstein back 3/15 after 3, 18 min since (77% of 24)
BACK Caruso back 3/12 after 2, 18 min since (94% of 19)
BACK Sandfort back 3/18 after 7, 5 min since (30% of 16)
BACK K. Williams back 3/18 after 3, 21 min since (151% of 14)
BOS availability going into 3/04 · 1 day's restNEW Scheierman 18 to 27 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 3/06 · 1 day's restNEW Scheierman 18 to 27 min over the last 5
NEW González 14 to 21 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 3/08 · 1 day's restNEW Scheierman 18 to 26 min over the last 5
NEW González 14 to 23 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 3/10 · 1 day's restOUT Walsh missed 2 since 3/06, returns tonight: 1 min (7% of 17)
NEW Scheierman 18 to 27 min over the last 5
NEW González 14 to 20 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 3/12 · 1 day's restOUT Vučević missed 2 since 3/08, out tonight
BACK Walsh back 3/10 after 2, 1 min since (7% of 17)
NEW Scheierman 18 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW González 14 to 19 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 3/14 · 1 day's restOUT Vučević missed 3 since 3/08, out tonight
BACK Walsh back 3/10 after 2, 7 min since (40% of 17)
NEW Scheierman 18 to 29 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 3/16 · 1 day's restOUT Vučević missed 4 since 3/08, out tonight
BACK Walsh back 3/10 after 2, 7 min since (40% of 17)
NEW Scheierman 18 to 28 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 3/18 · 1 day's restOUT Vučević missed 5 since 3/08, out tonight
OUT Walsh missed 2 since 3/14, out tonight
NEW Scheierman 18 to 29 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 3/20 · 1 day's restOUT Vučević missed 6 since 3/08, out tonight
OUT Walsh missed 3 since 3/14, out tonight
NEW Scheierman 18 to 29 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 104, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 22 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 30 and Holmgren at 20 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. Without Holmgren (2 straight), Jal. Williams (11 straight), Hartenstein (2 straight). 2 days' rest. Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 104, shooting 44 percent and 36 from three, 17 free throws a game; White at 21 and Tatum at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Vučević (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-6 a night and OKC minus-8 and the line, where OKC takes 22 free throws a game to Boston's 17. Call it OKC 111, Boston 108, Boston keeping it close.
3/03 @ CHI 116-108 — OKC notes
OKC won 116-108. OKC shot 43% (43 of 99) to CHI's 43%, 10 of 42 from three. OKC turned it over 9 times to CHI's 19. McCain led with 20 (8 of 15, 4 of 9 from three); Joe added 19, Wiggins 18. The hinge was Q3, 32-22: a lead of 1 became 11, and the lead reached 19. Wiggins was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
3/04 @ NYK 103-100 — OKC notes
OKC won 103-100. OKC shot 45% (33 of 73) to NYK's 42%, 16 of 42 from three. The glass went 38-48 against them. Holmgren led with 28 (11 of 19, 6 of 11 from three); Gilgeous-Alexander added 26, Dort 16. The hinge was Q2, 25-17: a lead of 2 became 10, and the lead reached 15. Dort was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
3/07 vs GSW 104-97 — OKC notes
OKC won 104-97. OKC shot 42% (33 of 78) to GSW's 41%, 15 of 42 from three, and went to the line 24 times to GSW's 18 — 23 points from the stripe to their 11. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 27 (6 of 15, 1 of 4 from three, 14 of 15 at the line); Joe added 18, K. Williams 13. The hinge was Q2, 33-26: a lead of 6 became 13. Barnhizer was the night's best plus/minus at +9.
3/09 vs DEN 129-126 — OKC notes
OKC won 129-126. OKC shot 51% (47 of 93) to DEN's 46%, 19 of 47 from three, and got to the line 21 times to DEN's 29. The glass went 37-56 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 35 (14 of 21, 3 of 7 from three); J. Williams added 29, Mitchell 24. The hinge was Q2, 29-20: OKC came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 6. McCain was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
3/12 vs BOS 104-102 — OKC notes
OKC won 104-102. OKC shot 48% (40 of 84) to BOS's 40%, 11 of 44 from three. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 35 (13 of 18, 2 of 5 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Mitchell added 15, Holmgren 14. The hinge was Q4, 24-19: OKC came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 2. OKC trailed 56-59 at the half and won the second half 48-43.
3/15 vs MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 107, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 22 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 31 and Holmgren at 18 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. Without Jal. Williams (12 straight), Hartenstein (3 straight), Sandfort (5 straight). 2 days' rest. Minnesota comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 123, shooting 50 percent and 33 from three, 27 free throws a game; Edwards at 30 and Reid at 14 a game. Without Conley (7 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 107 a night to Minnesota's 123 and the turnovers, Minnesota giving it away 14 times a game to OKC's 11. Call it OKC 118, Minnesota 110.
3/17 @ ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Orlando comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 117, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 31 free throws a game; Banchero at 24 and Bane at 23 a game. Without Fra. Wagner (14 straight), Black (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 106, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 29 and Holmgren at 21 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. Without Jal. Williams (13 straight), Sandfort (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Orlando has been plus-4 a night and OKC minus-8 and the line, where Orlando takes 31 free throws a game to OKC's 21. Call it OKC 115, Orlando 114, Orlando keeping it close.
3/18 @ BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Brooklyn comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 116, shooting 44 percent and 36 from three, 25 free throws a game; Minott at 16 and Wolf at 12 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Sharpe (4 straight), Wilson (2 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 107, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 22 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 31 and Holmgren at 18 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Jal. Williams (14 straight), Sandfort (7 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, Brooklyn giving it away 18 times a game to OKC's 9 and the defense, OKC allowing 107 a night to Brooklyn's 116. Call it OKC 114, Brooklyn 108.
3/21 @ WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 124, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Coulibaly at 21 and Young at 16 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 12 a night. Without Reese (2 straight), George (9 straight), Black (4 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 106, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 30 and Holmgren at 16 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Jal. Williams (15 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 106 a night to Washington's 124 and the glass, where OKC has been minus-2 a night and Washington minus-12. Call it OKC 119, Washington 111.
3/04 vs CHA 89-118 — BOS notes
BOS lost 89-118. BOS shot 38% (30 of 79) to CHA's 46%, 10 of 36 from three. BOS turned it over 15 times to CHA's 4, and CHA turned those into 10 steals. White led with 29 (9 of 17, 3 of 9 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); Brown added 20. Q3 was theirs, 25-27, but the other 3 periods went 91-64 against them. Hauser's -21 in 25 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/06 vs DAL 120-100 — BOS notes
BOS won 120-100. BOS shot 47% (47 of 99) to DAL's 41%, 16 of 48 from three. The glass went 58-45 for them. Brown led with 24 (9 of 17, 2 of 5 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); White added 20, Pritchard 18. The hinge was Q4, 30-20: a lead of 10 became 20, and the lead reached 25. White was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
3/08 @ CLE 109-98 — BOS notes
BOS won 109-98. BOS shot 44% (37 of 84) to CLE's 41%, 15 of 38 from three. Brown led with 23 (7 of 17, 1 of 3 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); Tatum added 20, Pritchard 18. The hinge was Q2, 21-10: a lead of 9 became 20, and the lead reached 26. Pritchard was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
3/10 @ SAS 116-125 — BOS notes
BOS lost 116-125. BOS shot 47% (42 of 89) to SAS's 52%, 19 of 51 from three, and got to the line 17 times to SAS's 25. White led with 34 (11 of 22, 3 of 11 from three, 9 of 11 at the line); Tatum added 24, Harper Jr. 22. Q1 was theirs, 31-29, but the other 3 periods went 96-85 against them. White's -14 in 40 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/12 @ OKC 102-104 — BOS notes
BOS lost 102-104. BOS shot 40% (35 of 87) to OKC's 48%, 13 of 42 from three. Brown led with 34 (10 of 25, 1 of 4 from three, 13 of 14 at the line); Pritchard added 14, Scheierman 11. Q2 was theirs, 31-29, but the other 3 periods went 75-71 against them. They led by as many as 12. Queta's -11 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/14 vs WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 109, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 19 free throws a game; White at 22 and Brown at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Vučević (3 straight). One day's rest. Washington comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 134, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 27 free throws a game; Sarr at 17 and Riley at 16 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Reese (2 straight), George (5 straight), Whitmore (44 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 109 a night to Washington's 134 and the turnovers, Washington giving it away 17 times a game to Boston's 11. Call it Boston 121, Washington 111, Boston by 10.
3/16 vs PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 105, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 19 free throws a game; Brown at 21 and Tatum at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Vučević (4 straight). One day's rest. Phoenix comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 112, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 23 free throws a game; Booker at 33 and Green at 29 a game. Without Brooks (10 straight), Williams (6 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-7 a night and Phoenix minus-2 and the arc, Phoenix at 41 percent from three to Boston's 33. Call it Boston 113, Phoenix 110, Phoenix keeping it close.
3/18 vs GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 108, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Brown at 24 and Tatum at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Vučević (5 straight), Walsh (2 straight). One day's rest. Golden State comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 121, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 21 free throws a game; Porziņģis at 22 and Melton at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Ste. Curry (18 straight), Moody (7 straight), Horford (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-5 a night and Golden State minus-6 and the defense, Boston allowing 108 a night to Golden State's 121. Call it Boston 116, Golden State 111.
3/20 @ MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Memphis comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 127, shooting 44 percent and 35 from three, 24 free throws a game; Jerome at 23 and Jackson at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. One day's rest. Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 108, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 20 free throws a game; Brown at 26 and Tatum at 22 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Vučević (6 straight), Walsh (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-6 a night and Memphis minus-9 and the defense, Boston allowing 108 a night to Memphis's 127. Call it Boston 117, Memphis 113, Memphis keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
OKCAC A. Caruso
AM A. Mitchell
AW A. Wiggins
CH C. Holmgren
CW C. Wallace
IJ I. Joe
JM J. McCain
JW J. Williams
LD L. Dort
SG S. Gilgeous-Alexander
BOSBS B. Scheierman
GO Gonzalez
HG H. González
JB J. Brown
JW J. Walsh
LG L. Garza
NQ N. Queta
PP P. Pritchard
RH R. Harper Jr.
SH S. Hauser
OKC/BOS the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 35 and breaks Wilt's record as Thunder beat Celtics 104-102
OKLAHOMA CITY -- — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander broke Wilt Chamberlain 's record for consecutive games with 20 points or more, scoring 35 points in the Oklahoma City Thunder 's 104-102 win over the Boston Celtics on Thursday night.
Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren was fouled on a rebound with 0.9 seconds remaining and made two free throws to break a 102-all tie. Boston’s Payton Pritchard missed a long 3-pointer as time expired.
Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 20 in 127 consecutive games, topping Chamberlain's mark that had stood since 1963. He hit a midrange jumper with 7:04 left in the third quarter that gave him 21 points and tied the game at 69-all. He finished with nine assists and six rebounds and made 13 of 18 field goals.
The Thunder won their seventh straight game — all since Gilgeous-Alexander returned from an abdominal strain that kept him out of the All-Star Game.
Jaylen Brown scored 34 points for the Celtics. Boston’s Jayson Tatum sat out as he works his way back from surgery to repair his right Achilles tendon. He’s played in three games since his return, including Tuesday’s loss at San Antonio.
The matchup of the defending champion Thunder, who have the league's best record, and the 2024 champion Celtics, who are second in the Eastern Conference, was tight throughout.
Gilgeous-Alexander hit a pullup jumper with just over a minute remaining to break a 98-all tie.
Brown made two free throws to tie the it with 50.8 seconds left.
Gilgeous-Alexander again went to his free-throw line jumper and connected with 29.6 seconds remaining to put Oklahoma City ahead 102-100.
Brown scored on a turnaround with 23 seconds left to set up the final sequence. Gilgeous-Alexander passed to an open Alex Caruso , who missed a 3-pointer, but Holmgren grabbed the rebound and was fouled.