Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder Suffer Shock Defeats in Play-off Semi-Finals
The Boston Celtics, reigning champions of the NBA, suffered a shock defeat at home against the New York Knicks in the opening match of their Eastern Conference best-of-seven series. The Celtics were beaten 108-105 in overtime, with Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby each scoring 29 points for the Knicks.
According to the BBC, the Celtics were 20 points behind during the third quarter but fought back to level the score at 100-100, only for the Knicks to seal the win in overtime. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said: "We left some of their good shooters open. There’s detail stuff that we have to be better at."
The Knicks’ coach, Tom Thibodeau, praised his team’s resilience, saying: "This team has fought all year, and been a pretty good road team. It’s one game. There’s a lot of emotional highs and lows in the play-offs, but no matter what happens you have to keep moving forward." The Celtics’ Jayson Tatum was the joint-top scorer with 23 points, but missed a long-range effort at the buzzer with the score at 100-100.
The series is now 1-0 in favour of the Knicks, with game two set to take place at 19:00 local time (00:00 Thursday BST) in Boston on Wednesday. The Celtics will be looking to level the series and regain their momentum.
In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder were beaten 121-119 by the Denver Nuggets, inspired by Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon. Jokic registered an impressive 42 points, 22 rebounds, and six assists, while Gordon scored a game-winning three-pointer in the closing seconds.
According to the BBC, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said: "I didn’t think our execution was as clean as it can be. But we’ll learn from it. It’s a series." The Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander top scored with 33 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists.
The Nuggets’ win puts them 1-0 up in the series, with game two set to take place at 21:30 local time (03:30 Thursday BST) in Oklahoma on Wednesday. The Thunder will be looking to bounce back and level the series.
The play-off semi-finals have already seen some thrilling matches, and it’s clear that both series will be closely contested. As the BBC reports, the Celtics and Thunder will be looking to regroup and come back stronger in their respective series.
The NBA play-offs continue to captivate audiences around the world, with top teams battling it out for a chance to lift the coveted championship trophy. Fans can expect more exciting matches as the series progress.
Relevant statistics from the match include:
- Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby each scored 29 points for the Knicks.
- Jayson Tatum was the joint-top scorer for the Celtics with 23 points.
- Nikola Jokic registered 42 points, 22 rebounds, and six assists for the Nuggets.
- Aaron Gordon finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds.
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander top scored for Thunder with 33 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists.
The BBC provides comprehensive coverage of the NBA play-offs, including live scores, analysis, and commentary. For the latest updates, visit the BBC Sport website.
