Boston Celtics vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction, Preview and Odds - 01/02/2024

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Venue:  Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK 

Where to Watch:  BSOK

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Celtics -2.5, Thunder +2.5; Over/Under:  238.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Celtics -2.5, Thunder +2.5; Over/Under:  238.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Celtics -2.5, Thunder +2.5; Over/Under:  238.5 points

Boston Celtics:  26-8 (1st place, Atlantic Division)

Oklahoma City Thunder:  22-9 (2nd place, Northwest Division)

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Boston Celtics:  9-1 last 10

Oklahoma City Thunder:  8-2 last 10

The Celtics are entering this game with a 26-6 record overall and they are 10-6 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 6 game winning streak with wins coming against the Sacramento Kings, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Detroit Pistons, the Toronto Raptors, and the San Antonio Spurs in their last game. Jayson Tatum led the team in points in that game with 25 while Jaylen Brown was next on the team with 24 points. Payton Pritchard led the team in assists in that game with 7 while Kristaps Porziņģis led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 54.3% from the field, 36.6% from 3-point range, and 77.3% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 120.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 110.3 PPG against them. The Celtics have an ATS record of 16-14-2 this season and their O/U record is 18-14.

The Thunder are entering this game with a 22-9 record overall and they are 13-5 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 4 game winning streak with wins coming against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the New York Knicks, the Denver Nuggets, and the Brooklyn Nets in their last game. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team in points in that game with 24 while Josh Giddey was next on the team with 20 points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team in assists in that game with 6 while Chet Holmgren led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 54.2% from the field, 54.5% from 3-point range, and 80% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 121.3 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 112.7 PPG against them. The Thunder have an ATS record of 22-8-1 this season and their O/U record is 18-13.

The current betting odds have the Celtics listed as a 2.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Celtics have looked really good in their games this season with their 26-6 record overall which is the best record in the East. They are 10-6 in their road games this season and they are one of the hottest teams in the NBA right now, coming into this one with 6 wins in a row. Meanwhile, the Thunder have also looked really good in their games this season with their 22-9 record overall which is one of the best records in the West right now. They have also looked great in their home games with their 13-5 home record and they are coming into this one hot too, winning 4 games in a row. The Thunder have beaten some really good teams during this 4 game win streak but the Celtics look like the best team in the NBA and they have been blowing teams out on this road trip they are on. The Thunder are going to be a force in the West this season but the Celtics are going to make a statement in this game with the way they have been playing lately. The best way to place a bet here is on the Celtics to cover the spread in this game. 

Celtics Thunder Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Tuesday, January 2, 2024 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Celtics 132 Thunder 120.

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Boston Celtics: 3-6 ATS after 3 straight games where they made 47% of their shots or better. 1-4 ATS after 5 or more consecutive wins. 8-4 OVER when the total is greater than or equal to 230. 16-4 OVER against Northwest division opponents. 11-4 OVER after a win by 10 points or more.

Oklahoma City Thunder: 22-8 ATS in all games. 13-5 ATS in home games. 16-7 ATS against Atlantic division opponents. 11-6 OVER in home games. 27-9 OVER in a home game where the total is greater than or equal to 230. 19-8 OVER off a home win by 10 points or more. 

Boston Celtics:  J. Holiday (PG) Ques Tues - Elbow.

Oklahoma City Thunder:  None.

“We got stops. I thought we were really good at doing both, protecting the paint and getting out to contest, which allowed us to get out in transition. I think our secondary transition, we did a good job of recognizing where the mismatch was and getting to it fast and playing together as a team through it.” - Joe Mazzulla after his team’s win against the Spurs in their game on Sunday.

“Tonight it was a variance night. There’s nights when the other team makes shots and you don’t, and tonight was the night we made shots and they didn’t. They shot a lot of 3s. I thought we contested a lot of them. I thought we did made them uncomfortable. … But it’s hard to explain that boxscore other than shooting variance on this night.” - Mark Daigneault after his team’s win against the Nets in their game on Sunday.

PG Jrue Holiday

SG Derrick White

SF Jaylen Brown

PF Jayson Tatum

C Kristaps Porzingis

PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

SG Josh Giddey

SF Luguentz Dort

PF Jalen Williams

C Chet Holmgren

PPG: J. Tatum (26.9)

APG: D. White (5.3)

Reb/G: J. Tatum (8.4)

PPG: S. Gilgeous-Alexander (31.2)

APG: S. Gilgeous-Alexander (6.3)

Reb/G: C. Holmgren (7.8)

Coaches:

Boston Celtics: Joe Mazzulla (2nd season)

Oklahoma City Thunder: Mark Daigneault (4th season)