Thunder vs. Celtics NBA expert prediction and odds for Wednesday, April 3 (Can OKC cover?)
By Peter Dewey
The game of the night in the NBA takes place in Boston on Wednesday as the Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Boston Celtics.
Boston has already locked up the No. 1 seed in the East, but the Thunder are in a battle with the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves for the top spot in the West.
OKC won a thriller back on Jan. 2 by four points against the C’s, but Boston has been a different animal at home, going 32-3 straight up.
Can the Thunder pull off an upset win to improve their chances at the No. 1 seed? Or, will Boston continue to show why it’s the NBA’s best team in the 2023-24 regular season?
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Here’s a look at the latest odds, injury reports, players to watch and my best bet for this showdown on Wednesday:
Thunder vs. Celtics odds, spread and total
Thunder vs. Celtics how to watch
- Date: Wednesday, April 3
- Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
- Venue: TD Garden
- How to watch (TV): ESPN
- Thunder record: 52-23
- Celtics record: 59-16
Thunder vs. Celtics injury reports
Thunder injury report
- Not submitted yet
Celtics injury report
- Jaylen Brown – questionable
- JD Davison – out
- Drew Peterson – out
- Jordan Walsh – out
- Neemias Queta – out
- Jaden Springer – questionable
Thunder vs. Celtics key players to watch
Oklahoma City Thunder
Jalen Williams: The second-year forward is quickly becoming an All-Star caliber player, as he enters Wednesday’s contest averaging 19.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 54.0 percent from the field and 43.1 percent from 3. In his last meeting with Boston, the Santa Clara product shot 6-for-9 from the field and finished with 16 points.
Boston Celtics
Jayson Tatum: Tatum went off against OKC earlier this season scoring 30 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and dishing out eight dimes, but it wasn’t enough for Boston to pick up the win. Despite the C’s recently sitting players, Tatum has played in the last five games for Boston, averaging 28.4 points per game over that stretch.
Thunder vs. Celtics prediction and pick
Well, the Thunder didn’t do themselves any favors in the race for the No. 1 seed, losing to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night.
The team didn’t have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Jalen Williams in that game, a sign that they may return for the second night of a back-to-back. SGA has been banged up with a quad injury, but he played on Sunday against the New York Knicks.
Jaylen Brown is the only big-name player on the injury report for Boston, but it’s possible that the team sits him with the No. 1 seed already locked up. Regardless, this game isn’t going to be a free win for the C’s, who already lost to the Thunder this season.
OKC and Boston are No. 1 (Boston) and No. 2 (OKC) in net rating this season. While Boston has been elite at home all season, OKC has done a solid job the second night of a back-to-back, going 7-5 against the spread.
This is simply too many points to give the Thunder if SGA and J-Dub are able to go.
Pick: Thunder +8.5 (-110)
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.