Boston Celtics vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction, 1/2/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Boston Celtics vs Oklahoma City Thunder

Date: Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Location: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK

TV: Bally Sports Oklahoma

Odds/Point Spread: Boston (-2)

The Oklahoma City Thunder (22-9) are hosting the Boston Celtics (26-6) at Paycom Center on Tuesday. Boston opens as 2-point favorites. The over/under is set at 238.5.

The Celtics faced off with the Spurs and took home the win by a score of 134-101 in their last game. When it comes to fouls, the Celtics walked away with 12 and the Spurs accounted for 17 fouls. They converted 12 out of their 45 shots from beyond the arc. San Antonio walked away from this one shooting 75.0% at the charity stripe by making 9 of 12 tries. Additionally, San Antonio pulled down 39 rebounds (9 offensive, 30 defensive) and had 7 blocks. San Antonio recorded 28 dimes and had 6 steals in the matchup. When discussing defending, Boston allowed 42.6% from the floor on 40 out of 94 shooting. They also dished out 29 assists for the game while forcing 12 turnovers and getting 6 steals. Pertaining to grabbing rebounds, they collected 57 with 13 of them being on the offensive end. From the charity stripe, the Celtics buried 17 of their 22 attempts for a percentage of 77.3%. Boston walked away from the game with a 53.7% field goal percentage (51 of 95) and converted 15 of their 42 three-point attempts.

Jayson Tatum is a player who was a major factor for this contest. Tatum finished shooting 58.8% from the floor and also distributed 2 dimes. He was on the court for 31 mins and collected 6 rebounds. He scored 25 points on 10 of 17 shooting.

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Boston heads into this contest with a win-loss mark of 26-6 on the season. They average 120.8 pts per game (6th in the NBA) while going 48.3% from the floor. The Celtics are shooting 37.4% on shots from downtown (514 of 1,374) and 80.5% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Boston is grabbing 47.3 rebounds per game and has totaled 827 dimes on the season, which has them ranked 18th in basketball in terms of passing the ball. They are losing possession via turnover 13.1 times per game and as a basketball team they are committing 17.3 fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Celtics have forced 12.4 turnovers per game while drawing 18.4 fouls. They are relinquishing 36.6% on 3-pointers while they are 3rd in the league in points per game allowed (110.3). The Celtics defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 44.9% (1,320 of 2,940) and they concede 43.1 rebounds per contest as a group. They are currently ranked 5th in the NBA in allowing assists to their opponents with 780 conceded this year.

When they last stepped on the court, the Thunder walked away with a victory by a final of 124-108 against the Nets. The Thunder were able to collect 41 defensive boards and 5 offensive rebounds for a total of 46 for this contest. They coughed up the ball 13 times, while getting 1 steal in this contest. The Nets committed 21 fouls in the game which got the Thunder to the free throw line for 20 attempts. They were able to bury 16 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 80.0%. With respect to shots from distance, Oklahoma City converted 18 out of 33 tries (54.5%). When the final whistle was blown, the Thunder ended up shooting 45 for 83 from the field which gave them a percentage of 54.2%. The Thunder permitted the Nets to bury 38 out of 100 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 38.0% for this game. They shot 26.1% from 3-point land by shooting 12 out of 46 and finished the game at 20 out of 31 at the charity stripe (64.5%). In regard to cleaning up the glass, Oklahoma City permitted Brooklyn to snag 47 in total (17 on the offensive side).

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was important for the Thunder for this contest. He buried 7 of 15 for the matchup for a field goal percentage of 46.7%, and totaled 4 rebounds. Gilgeous-Alexander had 24 points in his 35 mins on the court and had 6 dimes in the game.

Oklahoma City has a record of 22-9 on the campaign. The Thunder have committed 20.1 fouls every game and they shoot 85.2% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 26.2 times per contest (15th in basketball) and they lose possession via turnover 12.6 times per contest. Oklahoma City has accounted for 3,760 points this year (121.3 per game) and they grab 41.0 rebounds per game. When it comes to executing on offense, the Thunder are shooting 49.9% from the field, which is ranked 3rd in the NBA.

The Thunder on the defensive end are ranked 11th in basketball in points per game surrendered with 112.7. They are forcing 16.5 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.3% from the field (1st in basketball). The Oklahoma City defense surrenders 35.8% on 3-pointers (427 of 1,194) and their opponents are making 78.5% of their free throw shots. They relinquish 26.9 assists and 45.5 total rebounds per game, which is ranked 18th and 26th in the NBA.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Oklahoma City (+2)

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