The Thunder are hosting the Celtics on Thursday. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Oklahoma City is favored by 7.5 points and this game carries a total of 215.5 points.
Let’s dive into my preview and pick.
Thunder vs. Celtics Preview
The defending champion Thunder continue to roll, winning six straight entering tonight. Oklahoma City leads the NBA with a 51-15 record and a 10.8 net rating. Jalen Williams (hamstring) remains out, but the Thunder have been just fine without the wing this season, owning a 32-8 record with Williams inactive. Isaiah Hartenstein (calf) is also out, but Oklahoma City has been great without him as well, posting a 22-8 record.
The Thunder have started Jaylin Williams in place of Hartenstein for the last two and Williams went off for 29 points and 11 rebounds in this past Monday’s 129-126 win over the Nuggets. Williams shot 7-of-12 on three pointers and while another double-double is possible for the big man tonight, another huge scoring outing feels unlikely against this Celtics team that ranks fifth in defensive efficiency and dead last in pace. Per usual, it should be Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Ajay Mitchell running the show on offense for Oklahoma City. Gilgeous-Alexander notably is looking to break Wilt Chamberlain’s record for consecutive games of 20+ points tonight with 127 in a row.
The Thunder lead the NBA in net rating this season, but ranking second is the Celtics. Boston is second in the Eastern Conference at 43-22 and the club has done almost all of this damage with Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out. The forward just made his season debut last Friday and has played in each of the last three for the Celtics. Tatum will miss his first game of the season tonight for rest purposes, so Jaylen Brown will resume his duties as Boston’s centerpiece.
Leading the Celtics to a convincing record without Tatum, Brown is an MVP candidate this season, averaging 28.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game, all of which are career highs. After getting ejected from Tuesday’s loss to the Spurs in the first half, Brown should be motivated to have a big, bounce back performance tonight. Payton Pritchard (neck) will also be back after missing Tuesday, but Derrick White (knee) is questionable.
Boston did an update to their injury report this afternoon, ruling Tatum out and Pritchard in, but White remained questionable. Given the Celtics didn’t rule him out, White feels likely to play tonight, but the knee contusion he is dealing with is concerning. White scored 34 points vs. San Antonio on Tuesday, but almost all of this came before he suffered the knee injury at the end of the third quarter. White took a short rest after this and returned in the fourth, but only scored two points across 8.4 minutes in the final period and looked slow by his standards. For that fourth quarter, White uncharacteristically finished a team-worst -7 in the box-score.
White is an extremely important piece for Boston on both ends of the floor. The guard is averaging 17.5 points, 5.7 assists and 1.4 blocks per game this season, all of which are career bests. White ranks 10th in the NBA in net rating and if he is out or isn’t 100% tonight, the Celtics could be in trouble against the mighty Thunder on their home floor. In the event that White is inactive, expect Brown and Pritchard to see massive roles, and role players like Baylor Scheierman and Ron Harper Jr. to see increased workloads as well.
Thunder vs. Celtics Pick, Best Bet
The Celtics are a league-best 16-5 SU after a loss this season, but with Tatum out and White beat up, Boston is at a clear disadvantage. The Thunder have an extra day of rest in their favor and they should get the win tonight. When playing with a rest advantage, Oklahoma City is a league-best 17-2 SU this season.
The Thunder -7.5 absolutely is in play, but I prefer backing this game for over it’s total of 215.5 points. White dealing with the knee injury should hurt the Celtics’ defense and 215.5 points is just too low of a number for these two top-eight offenses going head-to-head.
