The Boston Celtics (26-9) travel to face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder (29-5) on Sunday, January 5th. This game will be played at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City and televised on NBCS. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 3:30 ET.

Celtics vs Thunder

The Celtics Are Coming Off A Win

Boston improved to 26-9 this season with a 109-86 road win over the Rockets on Friday. The Celtics, favored by 3.5 points, covered the spread with the win. The game’s total of 195 points fell well short of the 220.5 O/U line.

A 10-0 run early in the game helped Boston take control, and they extended their lead by outscoring Houston 27-14 in the 4th quarter.

The Thunder Are Coming Off A Win

The Thunder improved to 29-5 on the season with a 117-107 win over the Knicks on Friday. Playing at home, OKC covered the spread as 4-point favorites. The game’s total points came in just under the 224.5 O/U line, with a combined score of 224.

OKC went on a 10-0 run to close the gap from 66-54 to 66-64. After falling behind 88-80 going into the 4th quarter, the Thunder dominated the final period, outscoring the Knicks 37-19 to secure the win.

Celtics Offense Breakdown

The Celtics shot 50.6% from the field and knocked down 19 threes at a 48.7% rate in their 109-86 win over the Rockets. Derrick White led the way with 23 points, hitting 6 threes, while Payton Pritchard and Jayson Tatum added 20 points each, with Pritchard shooting 80% from the field and making 4 threes at a 66.7% clip.

White scored 6 points in the 1st, 2nd, and 4th quarters, while Pritchard put up 10 points in the 1st and added 6 more in the 4th. Jrue Holiday contributed 12 of his 14 points in the opening quarter.

Thunder Offense Breakdown

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to a win over the Knicks with 33 points and 7 assists, scoring 14 of his points in the opening quarter. Jalen Williams added 20 points, while Aaron Wiggins contributed 19, with 15 of those coming in the 4th quarter.

Oklahoma City shot 51.2% from the field and hit 14 threes at a 51.9% clip. Wiggins connected on 4 threes, shooting 66.7% from deep, while Gilgeous-Alexander also made 2 threes at the same percentage.

Celtics Team Defense

After a shaky start, the Celtics’ defense locked down the Rockets, allowing just 55 points over the final three quarters in their 109-86 win. Boston held Houston to 36% shooting from the field, including just 10 made threes on 27% shooting from beyond the arc.

The Celtics sent the Rockets to the line 12 times, where they made all their free throws. Boston finished with 6 steals and 8 blocked shots.

Thunder Team Defense

After a shaky start, the Celtics’ defense tightened up, allowing just 55 points over the final three quarters in their 109-86 win over the Rockets. Boston gave up 31 points in the 1st quarter but limited Houston to just 16 points in the 3rd and 14 in the 4th.

Overall, the Celtics held the Rockets to 36% shooting, including 27% from three-point range, with Houston making just 10 threes. Boston also recorded 8 blocks and 6 steals in the game.

Celtics vs Thunder Trends

• Through their last three road games, Boston has an ATS record of just 1-1-1. However, their overall record was 2-1 while averaging 110 points per game.
• Oklahoma City has played well in their previous three home games, going 3-0 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 110 points per game while allowing 101. The team also performed well vs the spread at 2-1.
• Spanning across their last three games as the betting underdog, the Celtics have gone 1-2 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 1-2.
• In their last three games as the betting favorite, the Thunder have a strong straight up record of 3-0. In addition, their ATS record was 3-0 in these scenarios.

Celtics vs Thunder Prediction

The Celtics come in as the underdog at +2, making them our top choice on the point spread. We not only expect them to cover the spread but also believe they have a strong chance of winning the game outright, especially if you’re aiming for a higher moneyline payout.

Regarding the over/under, the current line is set at 221.5, and our model predicts the Celtics and Thunder to score a combined 249 points. We recommend betting on the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.