Celtics took it to ‘different level’ in win over Thunder, per Joe Mazzulla

The Boston Celtics delivered one of their most stellar performances of the season in their 119-109 victory over defending champions the Oklahoma City Thunder. Boston snapped the league’s longest active streak of 12 wins, pushing themselves to 48-24 for the season.

The impressive manner in which the win came was also acknowledged by Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, who claimed his team were on a different level, per a post on X by Daniel Donabedian.

Joe Mazzulla on how he thought the Celtics contributed to the process of winning tonight:

“I like the fact that we brought the physicality. I like that we brought our offensive organization. I like that we executed. I like that we took it to a different level defensively.” pic.twitter.com/oQVzqGDkhL

— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) March 26, 2026

“I like the fact that we brought the physicality. I like that we brought our offensive organization. I like that we executed. I like that we took it to a different level defensively,” Mazzulla said.

After trailing by as many as 13 points in the first quarter and shooting just 29.2% early, the Celtics methodically proceeded to flip the script. The defining stretch came early in the fourth quarter, where a 20-11 run expanded a five-point lead into a 14-point cushion (108-94).

That surge featured contributions from six different players. Regardless, Jaylen Brown was once again the main man, returning with 31 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

Jayson Tatum, who has gone strength-to-strength since making his return from injury, had 19 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, going 3-6 from beyond the arc. A total of six Boston players scored in double-digits, with Payton Pritchard and Baylor Scheierman adding 14 and 11 off the bench.

For the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 33 points, also contributing eight assists and two steals. Brown outscored Gilgeous-Alexander 10-7 in the fourth quarter and shot a perfect 3-for-3 in that period, which played a major role in the win.

Despite OKC’s early control, which resulted in an 11-point lead post the first quarter, the Celtics fought back as a unit, outshooting the defending champions from beyond the arc as they converted 18 of their 41 three-pointers, compared to 12/37 for the Thunder. Regardless, as Mazzulla claimed, it was Boston’s ability to restrict their opponents which was the major reason behind the victory.

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