Boston Celtics vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction, 1/5/2025 Preview and Pick

Game: Boston Celtics vs Oklahoma City Thunder

Date: Sunday, January 5, 2025

Location: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK

TV: FanDuel Sports Network

The Oklahoma City Thunder (28-5) will take on the Boston Celtics (25-9) at Paycom Center on Sunday.

The Celtics played the Timberwolves and walked away with a win by a score of 118-115 in their last contest. Boston walked away from the game having earned a 50.0% field goal percentage (46 of 92) and converted 22 of their 57 3-point attempts. From the free throw line, the Celtics converted 4 of 6 tries for a rate of 66.7%. Pertaining to grabbing rebounds, they collected 31 with 10 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 35 assists in this game as well as forcing 16 turnovers and earning 9 steals. When discussing defense, Boston let their opponent shoot 50.0% from the floor on 37 out of 74 shooting. Minnesota distributed 34 assists and had 6 steals for the game. Furthermore, Minnesota grabbed 41 boards (11 offensive, 30 defensive) and had 4 blocked shots. Minnesota went 90.9% when shooting free throws by knocking down 20 of their 22 shots. They also made 21 out of their 39 attempts from 3-point land. Regarding personal fouls, the Celtics finished with 16 and the Timberwolves finished the game with 13 personal fouls.

Jayson Tatum is someone who was important for this contest. Tatum ended up shooting 48.1% from the floor and dished out 9 dimes. He saw the court for 38 mins played and also grabbed 8 boards. He racked up 33 points on 13 of 27 shooting.

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Boston will play this contest with a record of 25-9 this season. They are averaging 119.6 pts per game (4th in basketball) while hitting 46.1% from the field. The Celtics are connecting on 36.8% from downtown (634 of 1,721) and 79.0% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Boston is pulling in 45.1 boards per game and has accounted for 878 dimes on the season, which is 11th in the league in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 11.7 times per game and as a squad are committing 16.2 fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Celtics are able to force 13.6 turnovers per game while drawing 18.9 personal fouls. They are ranked 8th in the NBA in giving up assists to the opposition with 833 conceded for the year. The Celtics defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 45.5% (1,391 of 3,057) and they relinquish 44.2 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They are giving up 35.5% on 3-pointers while they are 6th in basketball in points per game allowed (109.1).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Thunder took home the win by a final score of 116-98 when they faced the Clippers. The Thunder earned 30 defensive boards and 11 offensive rebounds for a total of 41 for the game. They coughed up the ball 4 times, while getting 9 steals for the matchup. The Clippers were called for 11 fouls for the game which took the Thunder to the charity stripe for a total of 20 shots. They were able to bury 16 of the free throw tries for a clip of 80.0%. When it comes to shooting from beyond the arc, Oklahoma City knocked down 14 of 38 tries (36.8%). When the final whistle blew, the Thunder ended up shooting 43 out of 86 from the floor which had them shooting 50.0%. The Thunder permitted the Clippers to bury 38 of 81 tries from the floor which had them at 46.9% in this matchup. They finished the game shooting 34.4% from behind the 3-point line via 11 out of 32 and ended up going 11 out of 17 at the free throw line (64.7%). When talking about cleaning up the glass, Oklahoma City permitted Los Angeles to grab 31 in all (10 offensive).

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was important for the Thunder in the game. He buried 9 of 17 for the contest for a rate of 52.9%, and had 3 rebounds. Gilgeous-Alexander recorded 29 points in his 30 mins of playing time and accounted for 8 dimes in this contest.

Oklahoma City has a win-loss mark of 28-5 on the season. When it comes to executing on offense, the Thunder are shooting 46.7% from the floor, which is ranked 12th in the league. Oklahoma City has tallied 3,807 pts on the campaign (115.4 per game) and they pull in 43.7 boards per contest. They are assisting teammates 25.8 times per contest (14th in basketball) and they cough up possession 11.7 times per contest. The Thunder are committing 20.3 fouls every game and they go 81.3% from the charity stripe.

The Thunder are ranked 1st in the league in PPG allowed with 103.2. They are able to force 19.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 42.6% from the floor (1st in the league). The Oklahoma City defense gives up 33.3% from downtown (419 of 1,260) and opponents are converting on 74.7% of their free throw shots. They concede 23.9 dimes and 47.4 rebounds per game, ranking them 3rd and 29th in the league.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Boston

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