Two of the favorites to win this year’s NBA championship will meet on Wednesday evening when Boston Celtics closes a seven game home to Oklahoma City Thunder.
Boston will enter the game as the No. 2 team in the eastern conference behind Cleveland. Celtics has won five in a row and is 5-1 on its current homeland with the lone loss coming against Cavaliers on February 28.
Oklahoma City, which is at the top of the Western Conference position, comes from Monday’s home loss 140-127 to Denver, which ended the team’s winning line in seven matches. The host Thunder beat Nuggets 127-103 one night earlier.
“We play so many games, so many good teams in the league-a victory are never as good as it seems,” said Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. “One (loss) is never as bad as it seems. That’s what I always say to myself. (Sunday) night, I went to bed and where,” tomorrow days will be a new day, you have to play them again. If you lose, you will have a terrible feeling. “
“It’s life. It’s basketball. Just have to hold on and learn from your mistakes and try to get better tomorrow.”
Oklahoma City forward Jalen Williams did not play during the second half of Monday’s loss with what the team described as a right hip stem. Williams was injured when Denver’s Peyton Watson landed on him after Watson committed a foul with 6:07 in the second quarter.
After Monday’s game, Thunder coach Mark Daigneult said that Williams would be evaluated on Tuesday. Williams is an average of 21.3 points, 5.5 returns and 5.3 assists per match this season.
Celtics avoided what would have been an embarrassing loss by sticking to defeat jazz 114-108 on Monday. Boston hit almost a 24-point lead against visiting Utah, which is last in the Western Conference position.
“I think a game like tonight, I think you would call it a folding game,” Bostons Derrick White said after Monday’s victory. “We only had a big game against Lakers (on Saturday), and obviously OKC will come in in two days. So games like this, it will be up, it will be down. You just have to find a way to win them.”
The game will also contain two of the league’s Marquee player in Gilgeous-Alexander and Boston’s Jayson Tatum. Gilgeous-Alexander is on average a league best 32.7 points per match and is a strong candidate for winning NBA’s most valuable player award. Tatum, who did not play in Boston’s victory over Utah on Monday due to a right knee issue, is an average of 27.2 points per match, which is bound for the fourth.
Gilgeous-Alexander had 33 points and 11 returns when Oklahoma City received a 105-92 home victory against Boston on January 5. Tatum finished with 26 points and 10 returns.
Thunder held Celtics to 27 points during the second half of that game. Boston was only 9 out of 46 (19.6 percent) on 3-point attempts.
It is still unclear when Kristaps Porzingis will be available to Boston. Porzingis has missed the last six games with a viral illness.
“He does what he can to come back,” said Boston coach Joe Mazzulla. “But he said it best … At the same time we just have to make sure he is good, and we do what is best for him.”
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