Jaylen Brown had raised his game during the Celtics homestand when opposing contenders had come to town prior to Wednesday’s matchup against the Thunder. That trend came to a dramatic halt in a 118-112 loss to Oklahoma City at TD Garden Wednesday night.

This was one the defending champions wanted. The Oklahoma City Thunder clamped the visiting Boston Celtics late in a January victory, and in its title defense Boston had not yet lost a season series to another contender.