Two of the hottest teams in the NBA face off in front of a national television audience on Sunday afternoon when the Boston Celtics visit the Oklahoma City Thunder. Boston has won six straight games, while Oklahoma City enters on a four-game winning streak of its own. The Thunder are largely healthy, while the Celtics are dealing with injuries to Jaylen Brown (ankle) and Daniel Theis (ankle), both of whom are listed as questionable.
Tip-off is at 3:30 p.m. ET at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Sportsbooks list the Thunder as 1.5-point home favorites, while the Over-Under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 216.5 in the latest Celtics vs. Thunder odds. Before you make any Celtics vs. Thunder picks and NBA predictions, see what SportsLine's advanced computer model has to say.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, and last season it returned a whopping $4,280 on its top-rated NBA spread and money line picks. It's already returned over $3,000 in profit on all top-rated NBA picks during the 2019-20 season and entered Week 16 on a blistering 34-18 run on all top-rated NBA spread picks. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Celtics vs. Thunder. You can head here to see its picks. Now, here are several NBA lines and trends for Celtics vs. Thunder:
- Celtics vs. Thunder spread: Thunder -1.5
- Celtics vs. Thunder over-under: 216.5 points
- Celtics vs. Thunder money line: Thunder -122, Celtics +102
- BOS: Celtics are 5-1 against the spread in their last six games
- OKC: Thunder are 7-3 against the spread in their last ten games
Why the Celtics can cover
The model knows that Brad Stevens' team is elite on both ends of the floor, ranking in the top five in offensive and defensive efficiency. Boston struggles occasionally on the defensive glass, but in this particular matchup, that weakness shouldn't be exposed by a Thunder team that's second-worst in the league in offensive rebound rate.
Though the Celtics could conceivably be short-handed, this is a team with plenty of firepower to fall back on, headlined by 22.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game from Jayson Tatum. Kemba Walker will also be key against an impressive backcourt for Oklahoma City, with the All-Star starter averaging 21.9 points and 5.1 assists this season.
Why the Thunder can cover
The model also realizes that the Thunder are one of the hottest teams in the league, winning nine of their last ten games and posting a 21-6 record in the last 27 contests. Oklahoma City brings a strong offense to the table, ranking in the top ten of the NBA in shooting efficiency and turnover rate, and Billy Donovan's team is also elite at generating free throw attempts.
On the defensive side, the Thunder are also quite strong, ranking in the top ten in overall efficiency. Oklahoma City does a strong job at keeping opponents off the free throw line and, even against a potent Boston offense, the Thunder can lean on a reliable defensive unit.
How to make Thunder vs. Celtics picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, with Boston's Theis projected to out-perform his scoring average if he plays and Shai-Gilgeous Alexander projected to compile more assists than his average. The model also says one side of the spread hits in nearly 60 percent of simulations.
So who wins Celtics vs. Thunder and which side of the spread hits in almost 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the Celtics vs. Thunder spread you need to jump on Sunday, all from the model on a 34-18 run on NBA picks, and find out.
