Here’s the truth: The Celtics vs Thunder match stats from March 12, 2026, tell a story you won’t believe. A record fell. A buzzer-beater clanked. And two championship teams went to war.
The Boston Celtics vs. Oklahoma City Thunder match stats show exactly how close this game was: 104-102. That’s it. A two-point game decided in the final second .
If you want the celtics vs thunder stats, you came to the right place. We’re breaking down the Celtics vs. Thunder box score, the Celtics vs. Thunder final score, and every rebound, assist, and turnover that mattered.
The thunder vs celtics latest game stats prove one thing: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is different. He scored 35. He broke Wilt Chamberlain’s 63-year-old record. And he did it with the Celtics’ best defenders in his face .
Let’s get into the boston celtics vs okc thunder stats today and see what really happened inside the Paycom Center.
BOSTON CELTICS · PLAYER STATS
| PLAYER | MIN | PTS | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaylen Brown STARTER | 38 | 34 | 10-25 | 1-7 | 13-14 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -2 |
| Payton Pritchard STARTER | 36 | 14 | 5-14 | 2-8 | 2-2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -3 |
| Baylor Scheierman STARTER | 32 | 11 | 4-11 | 3-8 | 0-0 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Hugo Gonzalez STARTER | 28 | 11 | 5-8 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -2 |
| Neemias Queta STARTER | 22 | 4 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | -4 |
| Sam Hauser | 26 | 8 | 3-9 | 2-7 | 0-0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -2 |
| Ron Harper Jr. | 18 | 8 | 3-6 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +3 |
| Luka Garza | 14 | 5 | 2-4 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 |
| Jordan Walsh | 12 | 4 | 1-3 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 |
| Xavier Tillman | 8 | 3 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER · PLAYER STATS
| PLAYER | MIN | PTS | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander STARTER | 37 | 35 | 13-18 | 2-4 | 7-8 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 2 | +5 |
| Chet Holmgren STARTER | 32 | 12 | 4-9 | 0-3 | 4-4 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +4 |
| Ajay Mitchell STARTER | 29 | 9 | 4-8 | 0-2 | 1-2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +2 |
| Luguentz Dort STARTER | 28 | 8 | 2-6 | 2-5 | 2-2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +1 |
| Cason Wallace STARTER | 26 | 5 | 2-7 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +2 |
| Alex Caruso | 24 | 6 | 2-5 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | +3 |
| Isaiah Joe | 20 | 11 | 4-7 | 3-6 | 0-0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +2 |
| Aaron Wiggins | 16 | 8 | 3-5 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 |
| Jaylin Williams | 14 | 5 | 2-3 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 |
| Ousmane Dieng | 8 | 3 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
The Final Score: Celtics vs Thunder Box Score Breakdown
The celtics vs thunder final score landed at 104-102. But don’t let the numbers fool you. This game had more swings than a playground.
Team Stats at a Glance:
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
| Boston Celtics | 28 | 31 | 24 | 19 | 102 |
| OKC Thunder | 27 | 29 | 24 | 24 | 104 |
Nineteen lead changes. Fourteen ties. Neither team led by more than three points for most of the fourth quarter .
The okc thunder vs celtics box score shows Boston actually won the second-chance points battle 23-13. They grabbed 12 offensive boards. They fought. But Oklahoma City had Shai, and down the stretch, that was enough .
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Makes History
Let’s talk about the elephant in the gym.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came into this game sitting on 126 straight games with 20+ points. Tied with Wilt Chamberlain. One more and the record was his .
The crowd knew it. Every time he touched the ball in the third quarter, phones went up. People wanted to capture the moment.
With 7:04 left in the third, SGA hit a 21-footer. The basket gave him 21 points for the night and tied the game at 69. More importantly, it gave him 127 straight games with 20+ points .
Wilt’s record? Gone. Standing since 1963. Fifty-three years later, a kid from Hamilton, Ontario, walked into Oklahoma City and erased Wilt Chamberlain from the record books .
His final line: 35 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds, 13-of-18 shooting .
Jaylen Brown Carries Boston Without Jayson Tatum
The Celtics were hurting. Jayson Tatum sat out (Achilles management). Derrick White was out (knee). Nikola Vucevic is still recovering from finger surgery .
That left Jaylen Brown holding the bag.
Brown responded with 34 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds . He shot 10-of-25 from the field but got to the line 14 times and made 13. That’s winning basketball. That’s understanding how to score when your shot isn’t falling .
One game after getting ejected against the Spurs, Brown kept his cool. He played 38 minutes. He guarded Shai. He created for others. And with 23 seconds left, he hit a turnaround jumper to tie the game at 102 .
The Final 30 Seconds: Chaos in OKC
Here’s where the Celtics vs. Thunder match stats get spicy.
With 29.6 seconds left, Shai hit another jumper. 102-100, Thunder .
Brown answers with 23 seconds left. Tie game. 102-102 .
Thunder ball. Shai drives and kicks to Alex Caruso in the corner. Caruso air-balls a three. But here’s the problem: Chet Holmgren crashes the offensive glass. He out-muscles Sam Hauser, grabs the rebound, and gets fouled with 0.8 seconds left .
Holmgren steps to the line. Ice in his veins. Swish. Swish. 104-102 .
Celtics call a timeout. Baylor Scheierman finds Payton Pritchard for a 32-foot three at the buzzer. It’s online. It looks good. But it’s short. Airball. Game over .
Celtics vs Thunder Player Stats: Who Showed Up?
Let’s dig into the celtics vs thunder player stats and see who delivered.
Boston Celtics Box Score Standouts
- Jaylen Brown: 34 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 13-14 FT
- Payton Pritchard: 14 points, started for Derrick White, hit a buzzer-beater at halftime
- Baylor Scheierman: 11 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists in his first career start
- Hugo Gonzalez: 11 points, 5 rebounds, 28 minutes of relentless defense
- Ron Harper Jr.: 8 points, brought energy off the bench again
Oklahoma City Thunder Box Score Standouts
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 35 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds, 13-18 FG, NBA history
- Chet Holmgren: 12 points, 8 rebounds, hit the game-winning free throws.
- Luguentz Dort: 8 points, typical lockdown defense
- Ajay Mitchell: 7 points, solid minutes off the bench
Thunder vs Celtics Game Summary: How It Unfolded
First Half: The Young Guys Step Up
Boston jumped out early. Pritchard hit step-backs. Brown threw down a dunk. Then the bench unit came in and changed everything .
Ron Harper Jr. drove for a reverse layup. Hugo Gonzalez scored back-to-back buckets. Jordan Walsh hit threes and drew charges. At one point, the Celtics had a lineup of Gonzalez, Scheierman, Harper, Walsh, and Luka Garza on the floor against the defending champs .
And they built a 12-point lead.
The Thunder answered when Shai returned. They went on an 11-0 run. But Pritchard hit a buzzer-beater from deep to send Boston into halftime up 59-56 .
Second Half: The SGA Show
The third quarter belonged to Shai. He scored, he passed, he broke the record. But the Celtics hung around. Brown took over for stretches. Gonzalez kept fighting on the glass .
In the fourth, neither team could breathe. Every possession mattered. Every shot was contested. Shai hit midrange daggers. Brown answered. And then Holmgren grabbed the rebound that ended Boston’s night .
Celtics vs Thunder Head-to-Head Stats: Recent History
The celtics vs thunder head to head stats tell an interesting story. Boston leads the all-time series 79-68. But lately? The Thunder own the Celtics .
- March 12, 2026: Thunder 104, Celtics 102 (in OKC)
- January 5, 2025: Thunder 105, Celtics 92 (in OKC)
- March 12, 2025: Thunder 118, Celtics 112 (in BOS)
That’s three straight wins for Oklahoma City over Boston. The Celtics haven’t beaten the Thunder since January 3, 2024 .
What the Numbers Tell Us
The NBA Celtics vs Thunder match analysis comes down to a few key numbers:
Boston shot 11-of-44 from three. That’s 25 percent. On most nights, that gets you blown out. But the Celtics grabbed 12 offensive rebounds and turned them into 23 second-chance points. They fought .
Shai shot 13-of-18. That’s 72 percent. Against the league’s best defense. Without Jalen Williams or Isaiah Hartenstein to help him .
Free throws mattered. Brown went 13-of-14. Holmgren went 2-of-2 with the game on the line. In a two-point game, every free throw counts .
The Injury Factor: Who Missed the Game?
The thunder vs celtics nba game stats came with an asterisk. Both teams were banged up.
Boston Celtics Injuries:
- Jayson Tatum: Out (Achilles management)
- Derrick White: Out (knee)
- Nikola Vucevic: Out (finger surgery)
Oklahoma City Thunder Injuries:
- Jalen Williams: Out (hamstring)
- Isaiah Hartenstein: Out (calf)
- Branden Carlson: Out (back)
- Thomas Sorber: Out for season (knee)
That’s four All-Star caliber players missing. And the game still came down to the final second.
Why This Game Mattered
People are calling this an NBA Finals preview. The Thunder have the league’s best record at 52-15. The Celtics are 43-23 and second in the East .
Oklahoma City won the title in 2025. Boston won it in 2024. These are the last two teams standing, and they play like it .
If they meet again in June, expect more of the same. Physical defense. Star shot-making. Games decided by one possession.
Boston Celtics vs OKC Thunder Highlights and Stats: The Takeaways
Here’s what we learned from this game:
1. Shai is the MVP. Thirty-five points. Nine assists. A record that stood for 63 years. He’s doing things we haven’t seen since Michael Jordan .
2. Boston’s depth is real. Without three rotation players, the Celtics took the best team in the league to the wire. Harper, Gonzalez, Walsh—these guys competed .
3. Rebounding wins close games. Holmgren’s offensive board with 0.8 seconds left is the difference between a win and a loss. Boston dominated the glass all night, but OKC got the one that mattered most .
4. The rematch is coming. These teams play again on March 25 in Boston. Circle your calendars .
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Celtics vs Thunder game on March 12, 2026?
The Oklahoma City Thunder won 104-102. Chet Holmgren hit two free throws with 0.8 seconds left, and Payton Pritchard’s buzzer-beater fell short .
What record did Shai Gilgeous-Alexander break?
SGA broke Wilt Chamberlain’s record for most consecutive games with 20+ points. He now has 127 straight games with at least 20 points. Wilt’s record of 126 stood since 1963 .
Did Jayson Tatum play against the Thunder?
No. Jayson Tatum sat out for load management as he continues working back from Achilles surgery. Derrick White also missed the game with a knee injury .
What were the quarter-by-quarter scores?
The quarter scores were: Q1: 28-27 Boston, Q2: 31-29 Boston, Q3: 24-24 tie, Q4: 24-19 Oklahoma City .
When do the Celtics and Thunder play again?
The rematch is scheduled for March 25, 2026, at TD Garden in Boston. Tip-off is at 7:30 PM ET .
Sources
- The Boston Globe: Thunder beat Celtics 104-102 as SGA breaks Wilt’s record
- The Athletic: Boston Celtics vs Oklahoma City Thunder Box Score
- Yahoo Sports: Thunder defeat Celtics as SGA makes NBA history
- Times of India: Celtics vs Thunder injury report and head-to-head stats
- CBS Sports: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 35, breaks record in Thunder win
- Boston Herald: Shorthanded Celtics nearly stun Thunder
- 24score.pro: Celtics vs Thunder head-to-head history
- ESPN: Thunder 104-102 Celtics game recap
- MassLive: 4 takeaways from Celtics loss to Thunder
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