"LEGIT title contenders": Former NBA champion reserves high expectations for OKC Thunder after massive win over Boston

One-time NBA champion Kendrick Perkins has grown even more impressed with the young OKC Thunder following their gutsy victory over the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics on Tuesday at home.

The now-ESPN analyst was so stirred by the win that he now considers OKC a legit title contender with a very high ceiling.

Perkins, who won an NBA title with the Celtics in 2008, took to X, formerly Twitter, to share his thoughts on the Thunder:

“The OKC Thunder are young players with old Souls… the way they’re connected on both ends of the floor is a beautiful thing to see. They have a lot of SIGNATURE wins this season and they are LEGIT title contenders. That are definitely Standing on Business!!! Carry on…”

Against the Celtics, the Thunder stood toe-to-toe against one of the top teams in the league. They were rattled late in the contest, nearly losing a lead of as much as 18 points in the fourth quarter, but eventually, they dug deep to reestablish their footing to hold on for the 127-123 victory.

All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander towed the team to the victory, finishing with 36 points on 14-of-22 shooting, to go along with seven assists and six rebounds. Josh Giddey backstopped him with 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

Jalen Williams had 16 points while Chet Holmgren had 14 points and four blocks for the Thunder, which improved to 23-9 for the season, second in the Western Conference.

OKC Thunder coach proud of resiliency shown by team this season

OKC Thunder coach Mark Daigneault is proud of the effort put in by his team in their gutsy 127-123 win over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday at home. He said it was a continuation of what they trying to build in the ongoing season in the hopes of taking their development to another level.

The Thunder got the victory but not after being severely tested by the league-leading Celtics, who nearly overhauled an 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter before OKC dug deep to come away with the win.

Daigneault hailed the resiliency shown by his team and not allowing itself to be swamped by the Boston push, saying (via the Associated Press):

“I thought we were pretty resilient tonight. I thought we took some punches.

“They’re obviously a really talented team. I thought we were a little sloppy on both ends of the floor trying to slam the door on that game, but then made big plays down the stretch and executed with poise.”

The win was the fifth straight for the OKC Thunder, which now sport a 23-9 record. It will be going for a sixth consecutive victory when it battles the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday on the road.