The Boston Celtics rallied to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 119-109 to snap their 12-game win streak on Wednesday night.
Jaylen Brown dropped 14 of his 31 points in a pivotal third quarter, with eight rebounds and assists, while Jayson Tatum had 19 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists
Boston earned a split in the two regular-season matchups between the past two champs.
The Celtics take an 88-83 lead into the fourth, and Boston’s edge as high as 14 in the final period.
On the other hand, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 33 points and eight assists, but was outscored by the Celtics 19-2 in second-chance points and shot just 12 of 37 from the 3-point line.
The Thunder had a 115-109 lead with 1:30 remaining, but a layup by Brown and two free throws by Derrick White helped the Celtics close it out.
Lu Dort added 14 points. Jalen Williams finished with seven points in his second game back following a 16-game absence with a hamstring injury.
The Thunder started fast and led by 11 heading into the second quarter before the Celtics used a 29-15 burst to take their first lead of the night, 49-46.
Oklahoma City earned a two-point victory in the first meeting between the teams two weeks ago in their home court, but the Celtics were shorthanded at that time.
All players were on the floor for Wednesday’s rematch in a rare late-season pairing of elite NBA teams still with things to iron out before the playoffs.
The Thunder entered the season, topping the West and owning the NBA’s best record, while the Celtics came in boasting the East’s second-best mark.
Both teams will play home games on Friday: the Thunder host the Bulls, while the Celtics host the Hawks.
