The Oklahoma City Thunder has designs of finishing among the top teams in the Western Conference but is off to a slow start. The Thunder has lost the first three games of the 2018-19 season and will aim to turn it around in a tough matchup against the Boston Celtics next time out.
Boston is the favorite to win the Eastern Conference but has lost two of its first four games so both of these teams are aiming to iron out some issues. The Celtics are the superior team but Oklahoma City has talent and the home court advantage, so this could be a competitive showdown.
This NBA basketball game between the Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder will be held at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at 8 p.m ET on Thursday, October 25th, 2018. The game will be nationally televised on TNT.
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Odds Analysis
A spread on this game has yet to be unveiled but the Celtics might be the slightest of favorites. Boston has lost two of its past three games and has gone 1-1 on the road on the season. Oklahoma City has lost its only home game previously.
The scoring total may not be super high as Boston tends to play low-scoring contests. This game will have live betting capability. It is a nice option to add to wagers when the game has already tipped off.
Injury Report
Oklahoma City star Russell Westbrook missed the first two games of the season but returned in style last time out. He had 32 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists and shot 13-of-23 from the field against the Sacramento Kings. Even with the standout performance, the Thunder fell to the Kings by a score of 131-120. It was a disappointing showing at home against an inferior team.
Westbrook is one of the best players in the NBA and it’s huge for Oklahoma City to get him back in the fold. If the team is going to get things turned around he will be the main key.
Key Stat
39.1. That’s what Kyrie Irving is shooting from the field through four games. He missed a big chunk of last season and has been slow to roll into form thus far. Irving is averaging 16.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game. His scoring figures to increase as the season goes on. The Thunder will need to keep him from getting easy shots and see if they can keep Irving’s early-season trend going.
The Celtics as a whole are only averaging 99.8 points per game. While they play good enough defense to win games that way, they would still prefer to score more.
Irving and Gordon Hayward are both coming off significant injuries and it may take them both some time to get back into the groove. In that regard, Oklahoma City catches a break in getting the Celtics this early in the season.
Free NBA ATS Picks
Oklahoma City should finally break out and come away with a win. The Celtics have the deeper team, but the Thunder has the best player on the floor. Look for Westbrook to dominate even against a strong Boston defense.
The Thunder is better than it has shown thus far and will get a nice boost with a solid win over the Celtics. Keep an eye on the spread. If Boston is favored, Oklahoma City on the moneyline makes the most sense in this one.
Don’t forget the live betting option, as there are plenty of post-tip wagers that can be added once it’s understood what kind of game will be played in this on in NBA gambling.
NBA ATS Pick: Oklahoma City Thunder 103, Boston Celtics 100
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