Boston Celtics vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction, 1/3/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Boston Celtics vs Oklahoma City Thunder

Date: Tuesday, January 3, 2023

Location: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK

TV: Bally Sports Oklahoma

Paycom Center is where the Oklahoma City Thunder will take on the Boston Celtics on Tuesday.

The Celtics faced the Nuggets and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 123-111 in their last game. Boston wrapped up the contest with a 46.0% field goal percentage (40 out of 87) and converted 9 of their 33 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the charity stripe, the Celtics converted 22 of 27 tries for a rate of 81.5%. In reference to rebounding, they compiled 41 with 10 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 30 assists in the matchup while forcing 14 turnovers and having 8 steals. Regarding defense, Boston allowed 57.0% from the floor on 45 of 79 shooting. Denver dished out 31 dimes and had 5 steals in the game. Furthermore, Denver pulled down 35 rebounds (1 offensive, 34 defensive) and had 3 rejections. Denver finished shooting 88.9% when shooting free throws by knocking down 16 of 18 shots. They also made 17 out of their 30 attempts from long range. In reference to fouls, the Celtics ended up finishing with 15 and the Nuggets totaled 17 fouls.

Jaylen Brown is one player who was a major factor in this matchup. Brown finished the game shooting 60.0% from the field and also totaled 3 assists. He played for 34 minutes and snagged 8 boards. He had 30 points on 12 out of 20 shooting.

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Boston heads into this matchup with a record of 26-11 on the season. They are averaging 118.6 pts per contest (1st in basketball) while going 47.9% from the field. The Celtics are connecting on 37.3% on three-point attempts (580 of 1,553) and 82.7% from the free throw line. As a unit, Boston is snagging 43.8 rebounds per game and has accounted for 982 assists for the season, which has them ranked 6th in the league in terms of passing. They are giving up possession 13.6 times per game and as a unit they commit 19.3 fouls every game.

When they are on the defensive end, the Celtics are forcing their opponents into 13.7 turnovers per game and they draw 20.1 fouls. They currently rank 4th in the league in allowing assists to the opposition with 830 surrendered on the campaign. The Celtics are allowing a FG percentage of 46.8% (1,557 of 3,326) and they concede 44.2 boards per game as a unit. They are giving up 35.6% on 3-point shots and they rank 13th in the league in points per game allowed (112.4).

When they last stepped on the court, the Thunder took a loss by a score of 115-96 when they faced the 76ers. In the matter of cleaning the glass, Oklahoma City permitted Philadelphia to collect 56 in total (14 on the offensive side). They finished 32.4% from behind the 3-point line by going 11 out of 34 and ended up shooting 12 out of 17 from the free throw line (70.6%). The Thunder permitted the 76ers to make 46 of 99 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 46.5% for this game. When the game finished, the Thunder went 35 out of 92 from the floor which had them shooting 38.0%. When discussing three-point shots, Oklahoma City buried 12 of 36 attempts (33.3%). They were able to convert 14 of them for a percentage of 63.6%. The 76ers had 24 fouls in this game which took the Thunder to the free throw line for a total of 22 attempts. They also turned the ball over 16 times, while recording 7 steals in this contest. The Thunder earned 35 defensive boards and 15 offensive boards for a total of 50 for this game.

Josh Giddey was important for the Thunder for the matchup. Giddey had 20 points in his 32 minutes on the court and earned 2 dimes for the matchup. He converted 9 out of 15 in this contest for a rate of 60.0%, and tallied 9 rebounds.

Oklahoma City has a record of 15-21 so far this season. When it comes to offensive execution, the Thunder are shooting 45.9% from the floor, which is ranked 23rd in the league. Oklahoma City has scored 4,147 points for the campaign (115.2 per contest) and they collect 44.6 boards per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 23.8 times per contest (22nd in basketball) and they lose possession via turnover 14.4 times per game. The Thunder are committing 21.6 fouls per contest and they go 79.3% from the charity stripe.

The Thunder on defense are ranked 25th in the league in PPG surrendered with 116.8. They are forcing 16.9 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 46.7% from the floor (11th in the NBA). The Oklahoma City defense gives up 36.2% on shots from behind the 3-point line (467 of 1,289) and their opponents are converting on 77.8% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have conceded 25.0 assists and 48.3 total rebounds per game, ranking them 12th and 30th in basketball.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Boston

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