BOSTON — It doesn't matter what age you are; nobody likes doing homework. However, the Boston Celtics do it (perhaps giving their "Celtics University" nickname a more literal meaning) and are committed to their studies, and that was on full display during their 119-109 win over the red-hot Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night.
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It doesn't take too much digging to see that Thunder defensive guru Alex Caruso is shooting under 30% from 3-point land this season and was off the mark on 21 of his last 24 attempts prior to Wednesday. The Celtics remembered him missing 7 of his 8 shots from beyond the arc in their first meeting with the Thunder, who prevailed 104-102, because they largely orchestrated it. Although Oklahoma City isn't very close to Las Vegas, the C's did some gambling then, letting Caruso launch freely from deep with little resistance in order to mind other defensive gaps.
Although that didn't result in a win on March 12, it was crucial on Marchh 25 at TD Garden, as the Celtics once again allowed Caruso to make it rain — this time even more egregiously. For most of the game, nobody would step foot near him if he was on the perimeter which, in turn, helped the Celtics focus on more pressing threats.
Similar to the Other Themes
— Thibaut Tagnon (@TagnonThibaut) March 26, 2026
Celtics Basically Doubled the Ball with the Nail Defender
Forcing Shai to Give Up the Ball pic.twitter.com/SVEUrINUG7
And what bigger offensive threat than MVP hopeful Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? The Thunder superstar is hard for any team to stop and the Celtics didn't forget what happened when they largely showed him single covering during their first matchup this season.
During Wednesday's pregame press conference, Mazzulla even mentioned SGA's final shot of that loss from two weeks ago, when the Celtics didn't fully commit to doubling him and the reigning NBA Finals MVP burned them with a clutch jumper to go up 102-100 with 30 seconds remaining.
"The first challenge is keeping him off the free throw line," Mazzulla emphasized. "We have to execute, whatever that may be. That's the most important thing, is making sure we're ready to execute whatever is needed."
Joe Mazzulla on slowing down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander:
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) March 25, 2026
“The first challenge is keeping him off the free throw line…Then you take a look at last game, the second to last possession…We make him pass it. We don't get the rebound.”
“The most important thing, is making sure we're… pic.twitter.com/rgcOBTGOmg
While the Celtics didn't excel at keeping Gilgeous-Alexander away from the charity stripe in Boston, they did execute their double teams on him more frequently and successfully. They were able to do this in part by letting Caruso roam.
In fact, SGA's final possession was a turnover off of a bad pass likely intended for an open Caruso lurking near the basket. Celtics star Jayson Tatum and guard Derrick White swarmed the reigning MVP and iced the win with said steal with less than a minute to go.
Of course, leaving Caruso open didn't work every time. He's still a two-time NBA champion who shoots over 35% from deep for his career. But, the Celtics were willing to live with him punishing them and that strategic gamble paid off.
Perhaps more importantly, the Celtics played with effort for a full 48 minutes on both sides of the ball and received production from every player donning the green and white. Even Mazzulla was impressed, as he sounded a little more pleased in his postgame press conference than usual.
"I like the fact that we brought the physicality," he said. "I like the fact that we brought our offensive organization. I like the fact that we executed. I like the fact that we took it to a different level defensively."
Joe Mazzulla on how he thought the Celtics contributed to the process of winning tonight:
— 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.” pic.twitter.com/oQVzqGDkhL
Mazzulla always wants to prevent the Celtics from getting too excited over a regular-season win, though. So, that explains his next comments, in which he switched his focus to a Friday night battle with the streaky Atlanta Hawks:
"Now it's 'Ok, where can we get better?'" he asked. "And we apply it to Friday's game. They're playing really well. They're going to challenge us in different ways and how do we get better?"
This mentality has clearly rubbed off on the rest of the Celtics, too.
"They're all worth one," Tatum said in the locker room after the win. "Still a long way to go. Still got ways to improve."
No matter who the 48-24 Celtics face next, you can count on them hitting the books beforehand and coming in prepared.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: The Celtics gambled with Alex Caruso vs. the Thunder, and it paid off