Trio of Celtics' guards took over and led way to comeback win over Thunder

BOSTON --The Celtics have not been playing great defense to start the season. They also haven't really been tested too much in terms of needing to come back against an opponent. 

On Monday night against the Thunder, the Celtics did both. It all took until the fourth quarter to manifest, but the Celtics played some great defense when it mattered most and stormed back for a 126-122 win at TD Garden. With the win, Boston now owns the best record in the NBA at 11-3.

It was an "off" shooting night for both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Tatum was just 9-for-23 from the floor, while Brown was 11-for-21. They went a combined 1-for-14 from downtown, though the duo did still account for 53 of Boston's points.

But the Celtics really have to thank a trio of guards for flipping Monday night's 15-point third-quarter deficit. Marcus Smart led the charge scoring-wise with some big buckets and beautiful dimes, but Payton Pritchard and Derrick White also had their fingerprints all over the comeback. Both upped the pressure on the defensive end in the third quarter, throwing a full-court press on the Thunder. By the fourth, the OKC offense was essentially a bakery with all the turnovers they dished out.

The feisty Pritchard pulled the C's within seven points at the end of the third when he swiped the ball from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at midcourt and drove in for an easy deuce. That energy is infectious, and White caught the bug.

"Every time P's in, I feel like he just changes the energy of the game," White said after the win. "So I'm just trying to follow his lead."

That's exactly what White did. He came up with a steal on the Thunder's first possession of the fourth, which led to a pair of free throws for the reserve guard. He had another steal turn into easy points a few minutes later, making it a five-point game with 8:30 left.

Boston locked down on defense and forced four turnovers in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter. The C's scored eight points off those takeaways. Overall, the Celtics forced 15 turnovers for the game, 13 of which came in a 12-minute span from the middle of the third to the middle of the fourth.

"I think it helped our energy when D-White and Smart and Payton and all those guys were pressuring the ball," interim head coach Joe Mazzulla said after the win. "I thought it gave us a spark and took away their rhythm on the offensive end and just put some pressure on the ball-handlers."

That defense led to some easy offense for the Celtics. White led everyone off the bench with 16 points, hitting every one of his shots in the fourth. He canned a three with 1:02 left to put Boston up by six, 121-115, and his driving layup with 9.6 seconds left sealed the victory for Boston.

White also dished out five assists and had four steals for the night, two of which came in the fourth. In his 14 minutes on the floor, Pritchard had 10 points and pulled down four rebounds.

The Celtics wouldn't have come back without such important contributions from a pair of role players. But when the game was on the line, it was Marcus Smart doing anything and everything that he could to get the Celtics a victory. He put Boston on top 115-114 with a corner three with 3:02 left, and hit an even more ridiculous fallaway three with 1:48 to go to break up a 115-115 tie. It was one of those love/hate shots that you hate when Smart puts it up (there were seven seconds left in the shot clock) but love it when it tickles the nylon.

It was Smart who found White for his three with just over a minute left, and then he put a truly mind-melting spin move on Gilgeous-Alexander with 37.8 seconds left to give the C's a 123-118 lead. He was once again dime master in the final seconds, feeding White for his game-sealing layup.

Overall, Smart scored or assisted on 17 of Boston's final 21 points in Monday night's win. He had eight assists to go along with his 22 points, which came off an 8-for-12 shooting night. Whatever he had to do to win, he did it. 

This was the kind of game that last year's early-season Celtics would have lost. Nothing was really falling for most of the night, players were frazzled by the refs early, and the Celtics didn't seem to have much of a desire to play any defense. Every team has those nights, and they usually lead to humbling losses.

Instead, Monday night was a statement win for the Celtics. Don't think they can play defense? They locked down an athletically and offensively gifted Thunder team down the stretch. Don't think they can win when Tatum and Brown struggle with their shots? Marcus Smart would like a word with you.

But it all started on the defensive end Monday night, thanks in large part to Smart, Pritchard, and White. Pritchard and White provided a spark off the bench, and Smart did everything he could to turn it into a wildfire.

For the first time all season, the Celtics' defense carried the team to a win. It was a game they probably shouldn't have won, but the Celtics simply wouldn't accept defeat on Monday night.