Kevin Durant (middle) had just enough to hold of the hard-fighting Celtics Sunday. (AP)

Kevin Durant scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds while former Boston College star Reggie Jackson hit a couple of key baskets off the bench as the Thunder ended the Celtics’ five-game winning streak with a 91-79 win Sunday afternoon at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 20 points while Kevin Garnett added 10. But Garnett, who hit four of his first eight shots, missed 10 in a row at one point, including his first eight of the second half as Boston fell short in their bid to sweep the Thunder, who improved to 47-16. The biggest difference in the game came at the free throw line, as the Thunder hit 27-of-33 shots while Boston attempted just 20, making 14.

The Celtics (34-28) hung in with No. 2 seed in the West, overcoming a pair of 10-0 runs by the Thunder in the first half to trail by just five points at halftime, 50-45. After shooting 51 percent in the first half, the Celtics went ice cold in the second half, making just 10-of-40 shots in the second half. They finished shooting just 37.7 percent (29-of-77) from the field.

The Celtics turned up the defensive pressure in the third quarter, holding the Thunder to just 18 points and cutting Oklahoma City’s lead to three, 68-65, heading into the fourth quarter.

But the Celtics went ice cold to start the fourth. Oklahoma City opened on a 10-2 run, highlighted by a jumper by Jackson as the shot clock expired. He changed his shot in mid-air and double-pumped to connect.

The Celtics missed 15 of their first 17 shots of the quarter while the Thunder built their biggest lead, 87-73, on a Durant baseline jumper with 3:13 left. But the Celtics responded with six straight points to get the lead down to eight with 2:20 left. After a defensive stop, the Celtics appeared to get the ball back with 1:44 left and a chance to cut the lead even more. But a replay overturned a ball out of bounds off Jason Terry and the Thunder got the ball back with a new shot clock.

The Celtics forced the Thunder to use all 24 seconds without allowing the Thunder to get a shot off. Jeff Green‘s 3-point attempted rimmed out with 59 seconds left. The Thunder got the next basket with 37.4 seconds remaining on a layup by Serge Ibaka to put Thunder up, 89-79, and ice the game.

The Celtics are off Monday before taking on the Bobcats in Charlotte on Tuesday night.

For more, visit the Celtics team page at weei.com/celtics.

In Sports Illustrated writer Sam Amick‘s draft notebook, he listed a few interesting tidbits about Boston College point guard Reggie Jackson.

The first bullet point stated that several NBA executives believe that Jackson has a promise from the Thunder that they will take him with the 24th pick should he still be left on the board at that point in Thursday night’s draft. According to Amick, Jackson and his representatives refused to work out for other teams and told them that the BC star “already has an NBA home somewhere.”

Amick also goes on to declare Jackson as “the runaway winner of the high-maintenance award in this draft class.” That’s because the guard not only pulled out of workouts but also because his camp refused to share medical records with teams following a report that he had undergone a minor knee procedure. One executive even told Amick “a lot of people don’t believe he was ever injured.”

Some draft experts are predicting that Boston College guard Reggie Jackson will be the Celtics' first-round pick. (AP)

The 2011 NBA draft is scheduled for Thursday night, with the Celtics holding picks No. 25 (first round) and 55 (second round).

The Celtics have used the draft for players that have played a significant role in the team’s growth. They selected Paul Pierce in the first round back in 1998. They also selected Jeff Green in the first round of the 2007 draft before trading him to the SuperSonics in a deal that got the Celtics Ray Allen. Other notable Celtics draft picks of late include Avery Bradley and Luke Harangody last year, Ryan Gomes in 2005 and Al Jefferson, Delonte West and Tony Allen in 2004.

Many draft experts have weighed in with their thoughts about how this draft will play out, with no consensus on which direction the Celtics will go.

ESPN’s Chad Ford writes that the Celtics will take enigmatic center Jeremy Tyler. Tyler decided to try playing professional basketball in Israel after his junior year of high school in San Diego. It didn’t work out for him, so he took his talents to Japan to play in that country’s professional basketball league.

Noted Ford: “The Celtics are going to start rebuilding soon, and they need to hit a home run again the same way they did with Rajon Rondo. Tyler could be that guy. If he had played in college, he might have had a chance to be a top-10 pick with his talent.”

In the second round, Ford has the Celtics taking Jamine Peterson, a forward who played two seasons at Providence before jumping to the NBDL last year.

Sports Illustrated’s Sam Amick has the Celtics staying local and selecting Boston College guard Reggie Jackson. “Apparently, the Celtics aren’t concerned about Jackson’s minor knee surgery in mid-May, as a source insists he won’t get past Boston,” Amick wrote. “He would need some grooming, but the lengthy, two-way player could eventually be a dynamic option behind Rajon Rondo.”

Fox Sports’ mock draft has the Celtics taking forward Trey Thompkins out of Georgia at No. 25, noting that Thompkins has some solid offensive skills. “Thompkins is a highly skilled offensive player with a pretty jump shot and range out to the college 3. He doesn’t wow you with athleticism, but his skill level is that of an NBA vet. He has struggled some this year without a playmaker setting him up, but remains a refined big man with solid potential.”

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Sports Illustrated NBA writer Chris Mannix checked in with the Dennis & Callahan show Wednesday morning to talk about the Celtics and Thursday’s NBA draft. To hear the interview, go to the Dennis & Callahan audio on demand page.

Mannix said Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge will not shy away from dealing any player in order to avoid a slow descent into mediocrity, and he noted that even the team’s young star, Rajon Rondo, has been the subject of trade talks in the recent past.

“I think he’s talking about moving everybody. I really do,” Mannix said of Ainge. “I’ve had conversations with different people around the league; I would throw Rajon Rondo on that list as well. … He has explored dealing Rajon Rondo in the past. He has talked to other GMs about him in the past. I’m not saying he’s been willing to pull the trigger in the past, but Rajon Rondo has been on the table in the past year or so.

“This is just something that Danny does. He’s not afraid to make the blockbuster deal if he thinks it helps him in the long term. So, I think Danny is absolutely working the phones right now. I think every one of those guys is on the table for a potential deal that he’s sure is going to help him.

“This goes back to what I thought the second after Doc Rivers signed that five-year extension,” Mannix continued. “Doc didn’t sign on for five years to be part of a team that just decomposes as it goes back to the Gerald Green era from a few years ago. He believes this team is going to be able to contend in Year 3, 4 and 5, when presumably Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen are gone. But to do that, I think Danny is going to have to shake up the roster. And I absolutely believe, right now, before the draft, after the draft, in the offseason, whenever he’s able to talk to these teams again once the lockout is lifted, he is going to be aggressive on the phone lines trying to improve his team.”

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Boston College guard Reggie Jackson hit 42 percent of his 3-pointers as a junior. (AP)

WEEI.com continues to provide daily insight and analysis on the 2011 NBA draft. This is one in a series of profiles of players who might be available for the Celtics to select with one of their two picks (25th and 55th overall).

Reggie Jackson

Position: Guard

School: Boston College

Height: 6-foot-3

Weight: 208 pounds

Stats: 18.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 4.5 apg

What he brings: Local hoop fans already know all about Jackson, who had a standout junior year, averaging 18 points and enjoying a huge upturn in his 3-point shooting from 29 percent as a sophomore to 42 percent as a junior. Jackson isn’t a pure point guard but he is a guard in the traditional sense. Perhaps most intriguing about Jackson is his wingspan, which has been measured at 7 feet. That length, combined with his athletic ability and on-court savvy could make for a destructive defensive-minded guard with scoring ability. In a best-case scenario Jackson has the skills to help a team this year.

There are questions about Jackson’s ability to duplicate his long-distance shooting and he falls into the tweener category — maybe not a point guard, too small for the 2-guard. That has him in the range of low lottery to mid-20s like a handful of players in this draft.

Where the Celtics could get him: First round.

What they’re saying: “The amazing thing for Reggie has been his IQ for the game. I think he has a great feel for the game.” — Boston College coach Steve Donahue

Notes: Jackson came into the draft combine with a decent buzz, but he didn’t participate in the combine citing an injury. That has dropped him a few pegs in various mock drafts and in the Celtics range.

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