The Boston Celtics’ five-game winning streak came crashing down on Wednesday night, as the Oklahoma City Thunder pulled off a 118-112 victory at TD Garden. But while the loss itself was frustrating, it was Jayson Tatum’s post-game remarks that turned heads.

Instead of focusing on the Thunder’s massive 35-20 free throw advantage or questionable officiating, Tatum put the blame on his own team, pointing to costly mistakes and missed opportunities.

From the opening tip, it was clear that the Thunder were going to live at the free throw line. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, one of the league’s best at drawing fouls, went 10-for-11 from the stripe, while Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace combined for another 11 attempts.

Meanwhile, the Celtics struggled to get the same whistles, with Tatum himself only attempting five free throws all night. Jaylen Brown fouled out late in the fourth quarter, further limiting Boston’s options in crunch time.

Tatum acknowledged the imbalance, but stopped short of calling out the officiating. “I mean, they got 35 free throws and, you know, maybe we fouled them, maybe we didn’t,” Tatum said, before quickly shifting focus to his own team’s mistakes.

Rather than blaming the refs for the free throw gap, Tatum called out his teammates for a lack of attention to detail. “You got to really focus on the margins. Some live ball turnovers, giving a team like that second and third chance opportunities on rebounds. Whether it was the late foul at the end of the first quarter—just little things like that against a really good team can be the difference.”

Tatum also noted Boston’s brutal three-point shooting, as the Celtics attempted a franchise-record 63 threes, hitting just 31.7%. “I mean, honestly, I think on the offensive end, we generated some really good looks. I bet a few guys wish they could have some shots back that they would normally make,” he said. “We missed 43 threes tonight—that won’t always be the case.”

While that might sound like a simple assessment, it wasn’t exactly a vote of confidence in his teammates, especially those who struggled from deep.

Jayson Tatum Calls Out Celtics as Thunder’s Late Run Seals Their Fate

Despite their struggles, Boston had a chance to steal the game late. After battling back from a 12-point second-half deficit, they tied the game at 98-all in the fourth quarter.

Then, with four minutes left, the Celtics collapsed, allowing an 8-0 run that put OKC in full control. Tatum, Derrick White, and Al Horford all missed clean looks during that stretch, sealing Boston’s fate.

Tatum admitted that some of those shots should’ve fallen, but his repeated emphasis on teammates “wanting some shots back” left plenty of room for speculation.

While Tatum was careful not to fully blame the refs, he did acknowledge the need for Boston to adjust to physical games. “You’re not going to keep them off the line. They’re very intentional about that. And they have been all season,” Tatum said. “But there is a balance between that and 35 free throws. Some of them were fouls. Some of them we’ve got to be better at.”

“But that’s not why we lost at all.”

That last statement may have been more for damage control, as many Celtics fans were already up in arms over the officiating. With the loss, the Celtics drop to 47-19, while the Thunder improve to 53-12, solidifying their status as a top Western Conference contender. While Boston remains the East’s No. 1 seed, this game exposed some key weaknesses, particularly when it comes to matching physicality and closing out elite teams.

Tatum’s comments also raise questions about the team’s internal chemistry, especially if his frustration with missed shots and costly mistakes continues to boil over.

The Celtics will need to address their mistakes quickly, as they face another tough test against the Milwaukee Bucks this weekend.