Check out our free Celtics vs Thunder pick and preview for this NBA game in Oklahoma City. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this NBA matchup.
Celtics vs Thunder NBA Pick & Preview
- Sport: NBA
- Teams: Boston Celtics at Oklahoma City Thunder
- Where: Oklahoma City at Paycom Center
- Date: Tuesday, January 3rd
- Betting Odds OKC +8.5, BOS -373 | OKC +291 O/U 235.5
The Celtics come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 26-11. So far, the team has gone 20-16-1 against the spread. In the teams past 3 games, their overall mark sits at 2-1. Boston is 1-2 vs the spread in these matchups.
The Celtics are coming off a disappointing 123-111 loss to the Nuggets. Going into the game, they were favored to win by 3 points. Boston was not able to turn things around in the 2nd half, as they trailed the Nuggets by 12 going into halftime. Leading the team in scoring was Jaylen Brown, as he contributed 30 points while hitting 60.0% of his shots.
The Thunder come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 15-21. So far, the team has gone 21-15-0 against the spread. Against the Celtics, the Thunder are looking to break out of a 2 game losing streak. These defeats have come on an average scoring differential of -13.5 points per contest.
Not only did the Thunder drop their last game to the 76ers. But they also picked up an ATS loss, as they fell by a score of 115-96 as 2 point underdogs. In the loss, Oklahoma City got off to a slow start, trailing by 26 points going into halftime. In the loss, Josh Giddey led the team in scoring with 20 points on a field goal percentage of 60.0%.
Head To Head Recap & Stats
I In last year’s head-to-head meetings, the Celtics averaged 121.5 points per game vs Oklahoma City, which was an increase over their season-long average. On the other side, the Thunder also experienced an uptick in scoring during head-to-head matchups, averaging 114.0 points per game vs Boston. Although the Thunder have the better ATS mark across the previous 5 head-head matchups at 4-1, the average scoring margin sits in favor of Boston, as they averaged 119 points per game while allowing 112. In these contests, they averaged a combined 231 points per game, leading to an over-under mark of 4-1.
Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game
The Celtics come into today’s game as one of the better scoring teams in the NBA at 118.6 points per game (1st). When looking at the team’s pace of play, the Celtics are currently below the league average in possessions per game, averaging just 99.7 per contest. Even though the team has preferred to play at a slower pace, their effective field goal percentage of 56.8% has helped them with their overall scoring numbers.
Defensively, the Celtics are one of the top performing units in the league, giving up 104.48 points per contest (1st).
Power-Foward Jayson Tatum currently leads the Celtics at 30.9 points per game. For the season, he is 9th in the NBA in usage rate and has taken 24.3% of the team’s field goal attempts. In addition to his scoring, Tatum is averaging 8.1 boards and 4.1 assists per contest. In today’s game, he is facing off against the NBA’s 16th ranked defense at defending power-fowards. Jaylen Brown enters the game sitting second on the team in scoring. Through 35 games, he is averaging 27.1 and is 42nd in the league in player efficiency rating.
Oklahoma City will look to continue with their strong offensive play, as they are averaging 115.2 points per game (11th). So far, Oklahoma City is averaging 102.7 possessions per game, making them one of the more up-tempo teams in the league. Not only is the team ranked near the top of the leauge in possessions, but this fast-paced style has translated to an increased number of made shots, as they are 10th in the league in made field goals per game.
Defensively, Oklahoma City has had its problems giving up an average of 111.83 points per game (15th).
This season, the Thunder offense has primarily worked through Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort who are 1st and 2nd on the team in scoring. In his 33 games, Gilgeous-Alexander is 5th in the NBA at 30.8 points per game. So far, him and Dort have accounted for 35% of the team’s field goal attempts while combining to average 44.7 points per contest. In addition to sitting 2nd on the team in scoring, Luguentz Dort is grabbing 4.1 rebounds for Oklahoma City to go along with 2.3 assists.
Celtics vs Thunder Pick
- Free Spread Prediction: Celtics -8.5
- Free Total Prediction: Under 235.5
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