Celtics fall to Thunder despite strong defensive effort

Avery Bradley and the Celtics were held to just 79 points Sunday against Oklahoma City.

The Celtics held Oklahoma City to under 100-points and didn’t allow Kevin Durant to go off for 30-plus, but the Thunder were able to hold the C’s to just 14 fourth quarter points as they beat Boston, 91-79, at Chesapeake Energy Arena Sunday.

Kevin Martin provided the Thunder with 12 points off the bench and Durant had a double-double with 23 points and 11 boards.

Paul Pierce led the Green with 20 points and Brandon Bass snatched 13 rebounds.

What they’ll be saying: The Celtics would have sent a strong message to the rest of the league if they were able to sweep the season-series with the Thunder. Though they weren’t able to come away with their sixth-straight win, there were plenty of positives for the C’s including the fact that they held OKC to its lowest offensive output since Jan. 13.