The Boston Celtics (43-23) came within a possession of pulling off one of their most impressive wins of the season Thursday night.

Instead, they left Oklahoma City (52-15) with another narrow loss.

Boston pushed the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder to the brink despite playing without several key contributors, but free throws by Chet Holmgren with 0.8 seconds remaining lifted Oklahoma City to a 104-102 victory in a thriller.

Boston was missing three rotation players, with Jayson Tatum sitting out as part of his Achilles injury management program, Derrick White sidelined by a knee contusion and Nikola Vucevic continuing to recover from surgery on his fractured ring finger.

Even with those absences, the Celtics made it a battle from start to finish.

The game featured 19 lead changes and 14 ties, with Boston even grabbing a surprising 12-point lead in the second quarter before Oklahoma City rallied behind reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with 35 points and 9 assists.

Here are four takeaways from Boston’s loss:

Two nights after his ejection against the San Antonio Spurs (48-18) cut short what looked like it was going to be a strong performance for the MVP candidate, Jaylen Brown delivered one of his best all-around efforts of the season.

Brown finished with 34 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists while taking on the bulk of Boston’s scoring responsibility against one of the NBA’s best defenses.

He struggled early and dealt with foul trouble, but took control after halftime and repeatedly kept the Celtics within striking distance.

His turnaround jumper with 23 seconds left tied the game at 102-102 before Holmgren’s late free throws ultimately decided it.

With Boston missing multiple starters, several young players stepped into expanded roles - and produced.

Hugo Gonzalez logged 28 minutes while contributing 11 points and 5 rebounds, often drawing challenging defensive assignments.

Ron Harper Jr., fresh off a career-best performance earlier in the week, continued his strong play off the bench, while Jordan Walsh added 8 points and energy on both ends.

The trio helped Boston build a surprising early lead and kept the rotation functioning despite the missing starters.

With Vucevic sidelined for the foreseeable future, Boston’s frontcourt depth remains in flux.

Luka Garza saw extended action, logging 21 minutes and even opening the second half with the starters.

Neemias Queta ultimately closed the game, but the Celtics’ willingness to experiment with Garza reflected the ongoing adjustments within their big man rotation.

Is there a world where Garza “Wall Pipps” Vucevic, the player who was originally brought to Boston to replace Garza altogether?

Crazier things have happened. 

Thursday’s loss wrapped up a demanding three-game road trip for Boston, which finished the stretch 1-2 after also falling to San Antonio earlier in the week.

The Celtics now return home to TD Garden, where six of their next seven games will be played. That stretch begins Saturday against the Washington Wizards (16-49) - and offers Boston a chance to regroup after a pair of narrow losses to Western Conference contenders.

Nothing says get-right game like a home game against a 16-win Wizards team in mid-March on two days rest.

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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.