Jayson Tatum Calls Out Celtics After Loss to Thunder—Is Poor Shooting or Team Chemistry to Blame?
The Boston Celtics saw their five-game winning streak snapped in a 118-112 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but it wasn’t just the defeat that made headlines—it was Jayson Tatum’s postgame remarks. Instead of pointing to the Thunder’s overwhelming 35-20 free throw advantage, Tatum called out his own team for their mistakes, highlighting turnovers, poor rebounding, and missed shots as the real reasons behind the loss.
What Went Wrong for the Celtics?
From the start, Oklahoma City made it clear they would attack the rim and force the Celtics into foul trouble. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, one of the NBA’s best at drawing contact, went 10-for-11 from the line, while Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace combined for another 11 attempts. In contrast, Boston struggled to get to the stripe, with Tatum attempting just five free throws all night.
But rather than dwell on the free throw disparity, Tatum focused on the team’s self-inflicted wounds:
> “You got to really focus on the margins. Some live-ball turnovers, giving a team like that second and third chance opportunities on rebounds. Whether it was the late foul at the end of the first quarter—just little things like that against a really good team can be the difference.”
The Celtics’ three-point shooting was another major issue. Boston took a franchise-record 63 threes, hitting only 31.7%. They missed 43 attempts from deep, which Tatum acknowledged, saying:
> “Honestly, I think on the offensive end, we generated some really good looks. I bet a few guys wish they could have some shots back that they would normally make.”
While his comment seemed like a simple observation, it also raised speculation about whether Tatum was subtly criticizing his teammates’ shot selection and execution.
A Fourth-Quarter Collapse
Despite their struggles, Boston had a chance to win late, tying the game at 98-98 in the fourth quarter. However, the Thunder responded with an 8-0 run, seizing control. During that stretch, Tatum, Derrick White, and Al Horford all missed clean looks, allowing OKC to pull away.
Tatum admitted those shots should have gone down, but his frustration was evident. While he stopped short of blaming the officials, he acknowledged the physical nature of the game:
> “You’re not going to keep them off the line. They’re very intentional about that. But there is a balance between that and 35 free throws. Some of them were fouls. Some of them we’ve got to be better at. But that’s not why we lost at all.”
His final statement seemed like an effort to prevent the officiating from becoming a distraction, but it also hinted at deeper issues within the team.
Is the Problem Shooting or Chemistry?
With the loss, the Celtics drop to 47-19, still holding the top seed in the East. But this game exposed some troubling signs—particularly their inability to match physical teams and execute in crunch time.
Tatum’s pointed comments raise a bigger question: Are the Celtics’ struggles more about poor shooting, or is there a deeper issue with team chemistry? While one bad shooting night can happen, Tatum’s tone suggests growing frustration with mistakes and a lack of execution from his teammates.
With a tough matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks coming up, Boston will need to regroup fast.
What do you think? Are the Celtics’ struggles just a cold shooting night, or is there a bigger chemistry issue brewing?