OKLAHOMA CITY — As the Celtics crafted their six-game winning streak, forward Marcus Morris was antsy and eager to finally get a chance to join them. He had played at least 79 games in each of the past four seasons, and this year his sore knee was keeping him from all of this fun.
Then Morris finally made his Celtics debut against the Thunder on Friday, had an uninspiring opening stint, and looked up at halftime and saw that Boston was down by 18 points. The winning streak was on the ropes, and Morris didn’t like the optics of that.
“I didn’t want to come back and the streak get broken and stuff like that,’’ he said. “What if it was [because of] me?’’
Of course, it would have been unfair for Morris to view himself as the culprit if the Celtics had fallen. During this streak they had not played an opponent as fearsome as this one. But Morris found redemption nevertheless, as he started the second half in place of Aron Baynes and jump-started Boston’s stirring comeback en route to a 101-94 win, its seventh in a row.
Morris finished with 9 points and 4 rebounds in 18 minutes.
“I’m glad that he got a game under his belt, and I think he really helped us win the game,’’ coach Brad Stevens said. “I thought his play in the second half was really good on both ends.’’
Morris entered the game with 5 minutes, 9 seconds left in the first quarter and the Celtics trailing, 15-11. He was aggressive on offense as he tried to find a rhythm, but he was understandably rusty. He missed all three of his shots in the quarter, and by the end of the period Oklahoma City’s lead had swelled to 31-18.
Stevens knew it probably was not an ideal spot for Morris to make his season debut, but he also knew there is no perfect moment to reenter the NBA cyclone, and that Morris had to play at some point. Getting him comfortable now — even if it had a negative impact in a loss — would be beneficial long term.
“You know that throughout the course of the season we’re better with Marcus Morris,’’ Stevens said. “He’s going to be an important part of our team, so there’s no good time to play your first game, right?’’
Morris finished warming up at halftime and was prepared to take his seat on the bench. Then just before the buzzer sounded Stevens looked at him and said Morris would start the third quarter. Morris said he was as surprised as anyone.
But Stevens was not thinking about the uneven first half; he was thinking about all the times Morris had frustrated his Celtics teams as an opponent over the years, and he knew that player lurked beneath the rust.
“Obviously with Carmelo [Anthony] at [power forward], that’s a tough matchup for anybody,’’ Stevens said. “We’re down 18, I really need him to get into a rhythm and get into playing again. And I felt like it would be a good little shakeup.’’
The Celtics failed to score on their first two possessions of the third quarter before Morris was fouled and gained some confidence with a pair of free throws. Then he hit a 13-footer and had with a steal, and converted a driving layup as he was fouled. The ensuing free throw pulled Boston within 60-48, and suddenly the deficit was manageable.
Morris had needed just 2:01 to pour in 7 points and remind everyone what he could be capable of this season.
“I think we picked up the pace a little more when I got in there,’’ Morris said. “I got a couple runouts, got to the free throw line a little bit, tried to get our offense jump-started a little bit.’’
Although Morris did not score again in the second half, he helped neutralize Anthony, who made just 3 of 17 shots in the game. Morris said he has long admired Anthony and pores over more film of him than he does most others, so he was prepared and eager for the challenge.
“So sometimes I think I’ve got a little advantage when I’m guarding him, because I study his movement and things like that,’’ Morris said. “So I just try to be tough on him, be physical with him.’’
Morris said he was not as tired as he thought he would be during Friday’s game, and he said his knee felt great afterward. The Celtics will face the Magic on Sunday before visiting the Hawks on Monday, and Stevens said he plans to rest Morris in one of those games. But late Friday night, with the good vibes from the win still flowing, Morris smiled and suggested he might try to talk the team’s medical staff out of that decision. He is finally back, and he does not want to sit back down.
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach @globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @adamhimmelsbach.
