CELTICS-THUNDER: What Worked, What didn't work and what worked better than expected

A Payton Pritchard 3-pointer at the buzzer fell short, as Boston loses 104-102 to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

It has been that kind of week for Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous Alexander, whose late-game heroics has catapulted him back to the top of most MVP lists. Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images

A desperation heave by Payton Pritchard with less than a second between catch and release, fell well short of the rim.

it was a potential game-winning shot if it went in, a shot that, with maybe a litle more lift on the release or maybe a second or two more to catch-and-gather, would have given Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla his first win in Oklahoma City as Boston’s head coach.

It was indeed a game where the Celtics did a lot of good things against the defending NBA champion Thunder.

But games like this, those missed opportunities on the margins, like a loose ball here or an unforced turnover there, loom large like a Shaquille O’Neal shadow.

Of course the Celtics playing without Jayson Tatum and Derrick White, certainly hindered their chances of winning. But the Thunder were without one of their all-stars and a key role player as well.

This game was similar to Boston’s loss at San Antonio from the standpoint of it being a game in which the Celtics did a number of good things, but fell short, like Payton’s long 3-pointer as time expired.

Here’s a look at some things that did work, didn’t work, and wound up working better than expected in Boston’s 104-102 loss to the Thunder.