Celtics at Thunder
The play of the point guards figures to be front and center when the Boston Celtics visit the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday. Isaiah Thomas scored 23 points and handed out a season-high 10 assists to lead the Celtics to a 106-93 win over Atlanta on Friday, while fellow floor general Russell Westbrook was doing his thing for the Thunder.
Westbrook had 21 points, a career-high 17 rebounds and 11 assists for his second straight triple-double in a 102-85 victory over Philadelphia. That effort came in the first full game since Oklahoma City lost former MVP Kevin Durant to a hamstring injury that is expected to keep him out for another week or so. "He's a very, very rare guy, because in my opinion, if he never took a shot, he could still dominate a game," coach Billy Donovan told reporters when discussing Westbrook. "He can rebound, he can assist it, he can defend, he can do anything." Westbrook had 36 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and five steals in a 122-118 win over the Celtics last March, extending the Thunder's winning streak in the series to five.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSN New England (Boston), FSN Oklahoma
ABOUT THE CELTICS (4-4): Boston will be riding a bit of a high when it heads to Oklahoma after not only outclassing the first-place Hawks but weathering a storm when Atlanta pulled close late in the fourth quarter and finishing the game on a 10-0 run. "They made their run and then we just finished the game off at a high level," Thomas told reporters. "These type of nights give us confidence." The Celtics also credited a new-found scrappiness and intensity on the boards for a 50-35 advantage in that department, which bodes well entering a matchup with the league's top rebounding team (+10.5 differential).
ABOUT THE THUNDER (6-3): Dion Waiters is one Oklahoma City player who is being asked to pick up some of the slack on the offensive end with Durant out, and he has shown signs of emerging from an early-season slump. The fourth-year pro had 14 points against the 76ers and is averaging 19.3 over his last three games after reaching double digits just once in his first six contests. Waiters is 7-for-11 from 3-point range and 17-for-18 from the line during the three-game surge.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Thunder PF Serge Ibaka is averaging 17 points over his last two games while hitting all four of his 3-point tries.
2. Celtics SF Jae Crowder has at least four steals in four straight games and leads the league with 3.5 a game.
3. Boston PG Avery Bradley (calf) has missed the last two games.