Oklahoma City Thunder vs Boston Celtics Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 02/01/2024, 05:33  by Joseph King | Modified on 02/01/2024 at 12:00 in NBA Prediction

The marquee matchup of the night sees a heavyweight clash between two of the NBA’s best as the Oklahoma City Thunder host the Boston Celtics on Tuesday. OKC is second in the West with a 22-9 record while Boston leads the East with an NBA-best 26-6 mark. The Thunder continue to rampage through the league as this young team looks to prove itself as a legit title contender. A 124-108 win over the Nets on New Year’s Eve means that they’ve now won their last four games in a row and eight of their last 10 overall. OKC, which finished 40-42 last season, ranks third in the NBA in adjusted net rating (+6.4) with only Philadelphia and Boston possessing a better mark. The Thunder are the second-youngest team in the league but are well ahead of schedule regarding their progression. A victory against consensus title-favorites Boston would act as a massive statement win.

The Celtics arrive at the Paycom Center seeking their seventh straight victory. They’re fresh off of dismantling the lowly San Antonio Spurs 134-101 on the road on New Year’s Eve for their fourth road win on their current winning run. Boston are looking unstoppable at the moment and are the only team in the league to still possess an unbeaten home record. The Celtics have won all 16 of their games at the TD Garden but have looked somewhat human when playing on the road, losing six of their 16 away trips so far. The Celtics have separated themselves as the cream of the crop in the league and their +9.7 adjusted net rating is the highest the NBA has seen since the 2017 Warriors. Unsurprisingly, they lead the league in average scoring margin at +10.5, just slightly above the +8.5 of OKC in third.