BOSTON — In only his second game since returning from a hamstring injury that kept him out since the All-Star break, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams reacted to Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum's return from a ruptured Achilles. Tatum helped the Celtics secure a 119-109 win at TD Garden on Wednesday. Flirting with a triple-double, the All-NBA forward finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists.
After the game, Williams addressed what he saw out of Tatum in their first head-to-head matchup of the regular season.
“It's special. First off, hopefully, he stays completely healthy throughout the whole rest of the season,” Williams said. “It's dope to see him come back and be able to play. He's not all the way there yet, and I'm pretty sure he'd probably agree to that. But it's impressive to have that injury — the way he's moving — the way he's still able to get his shot off and move around — is good to see.
“When you have somebody of that caliber player, you want to see him on the court, and it's dope he gets to do that. He looked very good. He'll only get better.”
Williams also revealed a conversation he had with Jayson Tatum after Wednesday's loss.
“Playing on a minutes restriction was hard. I was talking to him a little bit after the game. It's hard when there's no flow,” Williams added. “I've never checked into a game, and I'm not sweating at all. So, trying to figure that out is a little bit of a learning curve.”
Fortunately for Jalen Williams, there are nine games remaining on the Thunder's regular-season schedule for him to find his footing ahead of the postseason. He's played in 28 of Oklahoma City's 73 games in 2025-26. At the same time, Tatum has only nine appearances under his belt.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on facing the Celtics on the road
Before Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander commended Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown for making 14 trips to the free-throw line in Wednesday's loss, he described what it's like to play the 2024 NBA champions on the road. For Gilgeous-Alexander, facing the Celtics at TD Garden typically feels like a postseason matchup.
“Every time you play a Boston Celtics, you get a playoff feel. No matter what day it is. No matter who’s out there. They’re super well-coached. They have really good players,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I think it's one of the premier organizations to play against, and they bring it every night. No matter who's out there.”
SGA on playing at TD Garden: “Every time you play a Boston Celtics, you get a playoff feel. No matter what day it is. No matter who’s out there.
They’re super well-coached. They have really good players… It’s a game that you see where you really are and they test you. We got… pic.twitter.com/9BG0gRrqXa
— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) March 26, 2026
The Celtics snapped the Thunder's 12-game winning streak.
