Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant each scored 16 points, but a late push from the Boston Celtics trimmed the Oklahoma City Thunder lead to 46-39 at halftime on Monday night at TD Garden.
In typical fashion, the Celtics hung around in the early minutes but fell behind quickly midway through the half thanks to poor shot selection. Boston shot 34.1 percent in the opening half while Oklahoma City shot at a 45.9 percent clip.
Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 11 points and both Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen scored six points in the half. Jermaine O'Neal finished with six points and five rebounds in the half and Marquis Daniels scored four off the bench for Boston.
Serge Ibaka and Nick Collison both scored four points for Oklahoma City. Kendrick Perkins, in his return to Boston, had zero points, four rebounds and three fouls in 13 minutes. Reggie Jackson, a Boston College graduate, did not register any stats in three minutes off the bench for Oklahoma City.
For more Celtics an Thunder coverage, visit our team blogs, CelticsBlog and WTLC.