Joralexray Garcia
This January 3, NBA action will resume with a brief day of only three games, one of which features the Celtics vs Thunder, two teams that have had quite distinct tempos this season.
Although both teams have presented different levels throughout the season, this promises to be a very entertaining game, as was their first match of the season, where the Boston team won by a score of 126-122.
JefeBet focuses on providing you with the best sports betting content, including analyses of the various games of the best basketball league in the world, so here we leave you with our prediction for the Boston Celtics vs Oklahoma City Thunder matchup.
Predictions, Odds, and Betting Preview for the Boston Celtics vs Oklahoma City Thunder NBA Regular Season Game on January 3, 2023
- Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
- When: Tuesday, January 3, 2023, 8:00 PM E.T.
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Betting on the Boston Celtics
Although they have not performed as they did during the first months of the campaign in their recent outings, the Celtics are still at the top of the Eastern Conference, with a record that is also the best in the NBA.
The Celtics snapped a four-game winning streak by opening the new year 2023 with a loss to the visiting Denver Nuggets last Sunday by a score of 111-123, a game in which the duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had another good combined performance of 25 and 30 points, respectively, but did not receive enough support from their teammates, with only Derrick White being able to surpass the 10-point barrier.
Still, it should be made clear that those poor performances have been few and far between this campaign, with the Celtics averaging 118.6 points scored per game, thus aiding a defense that has been somewhat permissive, allowing an average of 112.4 points per game.
Betting on the Oklahoma City Thunder
While they have managed to be a more competitive team than expected, the Thunder have not been able to record many positive results this campaign, coming into this game in twelfth place in the Western Conference. However, they are only 2.5 games out of the Play-in spots, so they know they cannot afford to let their record get any worse;
even less so after a run in which they lost three of their previous four presentations, the most recent of which was on January 1 at home, 115-98, against the Philadelphia 76ers. In this game, their main player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, was limited to only 14 points, while Josh Giddey was the team’s top scorer with 20 points.
Even though they lost in two of their last three home games, being at home could give the Thunder some hope for an upset result here, given that it has a 10-9 record at home.
JefeBet Prediction
Even though they are a competitive squad, the Thunder frequently take risks on defense, giving up 116.8 points per game on average. As a result, they will undoubtedly struggle to stop a Celtics team that features two outstanding players in Tatum and Brown, who are motivated by retaliation.
However, they could give the Celtics a fight with an offense that has been their best weapon and that is always more effective at home, but to do so, they will have to make the necessary adjustments and change the mistakes of their previous performance.
The Celtics are a fantastic offensive team, so we anticipate them to put the Thunder, who struggle on defense and primarily rely on Gilgeous-Alexander to be effective on offense, through a lot of hardships. They will also be aware of how to halt their attack. Therefore, we are confident that the Celtics will manage to take the win in this match.
Prediction: Boston Celtics Spread.
Odds provided by BetMGM. Check out our reviews!
