Boston Celtics vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction, 3/27/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Boston Celtics vs Oklahoma City Thunder

Date: Saturday, March 27, 2021

Location: Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, OK

TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma

Odds/Point Spread: Boston (-1.5)

The Boston Celtics (21-23) head to Chesapeake Energy Arena on Saturday where they'll meet the Oklahoma City Thunder (19-25). Oklahoma City opens this contest as 1.5-point underdogs. The total has been set at 231.

The Boston Celtics faced the Milwaukee Bucks and went home with a loss by a final score of 121-119 in their last contest. Boston wrapped up the contest with a 47.9% FG percentage (45 out of 94) and converted 19 of 47 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the free throw line, the Celtics made 10 of 10 tries for a rate of 100.0%. When it comes to grabbing rebounds, they earned 38 with 9 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 24 dimes for the contest in addition to forcing the other team into 16 turnovers and getting 9 steals. In the matter of defense, Boston allowed their opponent to shoot 50.0% from the field on 45 out of 90 shooting. Milwaukee totaled 19 assists and had 8 steals in this contest. Moreover, Milwaukee collected 46 boards (13 offensive, 33 defensive) and added 6 rejections. Milwaukee shot 70.0% from the free throw line by knocking down 14 of 20 attempts. They also buried 17 of 37 shots from distance.

Jaylen Brown is a player who was a major factor in this game. He finished with 24 points on 10 out of 16 shooting. He saw the court for 33:54 minutes and also snagged 10 boards. Brown went 62.5% from the field and dished out 2 dimes. One more player that was a factor in this contest for the Celtics was Kemba Walker. He had 2 rebounds in his 35:19 minutes on the hardwood. He ended up going 50.0% from the floor in the game by going 9-of-18 (23 points). At the conclusion of this game, Walker had accumulated 6 assists.

Boston heads into this matchup with a win-loss record of 21-23 on the campaign. The Celtics are connecting on 37.7% on shots beyond the perimeter (561 of 1,489) and 75.8% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 112.2 points per game (18th in basketball) while hitting 47.0% from the field. They cough up possession 13.9 times per contest and as a unit they commit 20.7 personal fouls every game. As a unit, Boston is grabbing 43.8 boards per contest and has tallied 1,007 assists this year, which is 25th in the NBA in terms of passing the ball. On defense, the Celtics have forced 14.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 19.6 personal fouls. The Celtics defense is giving up a FG percentage of 46.8% (621 of 862) and they surrender 42.0 boards per game as a squad. They are ranked 9th in the NBA in giving up assists to the opposition with 1,039 conceded on the year. They are giving up 36.9% on 3-point attempts while they are 15th in the league in PPG allowed (111.5).

For their last game, the Oklahoma City Thunder took a defeat with a final score of 116-107 when they faced the Memphis Grizzlies. The Thunder corralled 35 defensive boards and 9 offensive boards totaling 44 for the contest. They turned the ball over 14 times, while recording 13 steals for this contest. The Grizzlies committed 10 fouls for the matchup which got the Thunder to the free throw line for 17 attempts. They were able to bury 11 of the free throw tries for a rate of 64.7%. Concerning three-point shots, Oklahoma City knocked down 10 of their 35 tries (28.6%). When the final whistle was blown, the Thunder went 43 for 95 from the field which gave them a percentage of 45.3%. The Thunder allowed the Grizzlies to bury 47 out of 99 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 47.5% for the contest. They finished 36.7% from 3-point land by connecting on 11 of 30 and walked away from this one shooting 11 of 13 from the charity stripe (84.6%). With respect to team rebounding, Oklahoma City allowed Memphis to snag 56 in all (14 on the offensive side).

Luguentz Dort ended up being a major contributor for the Thunder in this game. He knocked down 6 of 17 for the game giving him a rate of 35.3%, and totaled 3 rebounds. Dort earned 14 points in his 31:19 mins of playing time and totaled 3 assists in this contest. Someone else that ended up playing a role for Oklahoma City was Aleksej Pokusevski. He ended up walking away with 5 assists in his 32:22 mins on the hardwood, and he converted 5 out of 8 from the floor. Pokusevski finished going 62.5% from the floor as well as notching 13 points and 3 boards.

Oklahoma City has a win-loss mark of 19-25 on the season. Oklahoma City has totaled 4,681 pts on the season (106.4 per contest) and they collect 44.5 boards per game. The Thunder are responsible for committing 18.0 fouls per contest and they go 74.2% from the free throw line. On the offensive side of the court, the Thunder are shooting 44.9% from the field, which is ranked 24th in the league. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 23.0 times per contest (24th in basketball) and they turn it over 14.9 times per game. The Thunder are ranked 17th in basketball in points per game surrendered with 112.0. They allow 24.5 assists and 47.5 boards per game, which has them ranked 15th and 27th in basketball. The Oklahoma City defense concedes 35.0% on three-point shots (557 of 1,590) and opponents are converting on 75.9% of their shots from the charity stripe. They are forcing 13.3 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 46.5% from the field (12th in the NBA).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Oklahoma City (+1.5)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here