Thunder's Cason Wallace dismisses free-throw differential in Celtics win
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BOSTON — Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace addressed the game's free-throw shooting differential in Wednesday's win against the Boston Celtics. After Shai Gilgeous-Alexander labeled the Celtics win huge, Wallace shot down the narrative surrounding the Thunder's favorable whistle from the officials in their 118-112 victory at TD Garden.
Wallace says it's an ongoing hurdle every NBA team will deal with in 2024-25, but it doesn't prevent the Thunder from competing.
"Every team gets the same or close to the same whistle as us. As a defender, I get a lot of fouls that I feel like aren't fouls, and they go to the line against me," Wallace said. "Now, everybody's got something to say. But, you gotta hoop at the end of the day."
The Thunder made 25-of-35 free throws, while the Celtics went 10-of-12 from the charity stripe in Wednesday's loss. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla addressed the differential during his media availability but shared a sentiment similar to Cason Wallace's.
"You have to match the level of physicality," Mazzulla said. "There's a level of physicality that you have to play with. You also have to do your best to defend without fouling. So, it's just a small balance there. But definitely ones that we can take away."
The Thunder average the fourth-fewest free-throw attempts (20.2) in the NBA, while the champion Celtics average the second-fewest attempts (19.7).
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Thunder's win against Celtics
After beating the Celtics, Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander plastered his signature logo in Boston. He also labeled his win at TD Garden significant, as it was the second time the Thunder had defeated the defending champions.
After a back-and-forth three quarters, the Thunder went on an 11-3 run to build an eight-point lead late in the final frame. They never relinquished the lead.
"That's what happens when you trust the game plan; you trust each other offensively, and you do the little things to earn a win," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Every night in the NBA is going to be different. Every opponent is different. Sometimes teams shoot better than expected, worst than expected, but regardless, every night is going to pose an opportunity to pose a win, and we did those little things to do so."
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 34 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and one steal. Chet Holmgren added 23 points, 15 rebounds, and one block. Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 33 points, eight assists, and eight rebounds, and Derrick White finished with 22 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and three blocks.
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