Tip-Off: 6:30 PM CT
Location: TD Garden (Boston, Massachusetts)
Television: Bally Sports Oklahoma
Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal
Twitter: Follow @ZacharyLowNBA for live-tweets and discussion during the game
The Oklahoma City Thunder has played 15 games so far, and at this point, I honestly don’t know if they’re tanking or not. Tankers will claim the Thunder just isn’t doing a very good job at tanking, while tank deniers will point to the six wins and claim there’s a playoff team in there. While the Thunder might be able to scrape their way into a play-in spot at the least, that’s really not what the end goal is, so why make it such an issue?
Tank or no tank, the Thunder is a fun squad, and they have been a lot of fun to watch. Last night they dropped a single-digit loss to the reigning NBA champions, and if it wasn’t for poor shot selection late in the game, they would have had a good chance to pull out a win. Regardless, the show must go on, and tonight, the Thunder takes on the Celtics in Boston for the second game of a three-game road trip.
The Celtics are one of the more polarizing teams in the league in that they have had a ton of talent over the last few years, but they have yet to come away with any real success. At 8-8, Boston has struggled this season largely due to injuries, and tonight is no different with Jaylen Brown taking a seat due to a strained hamstring.
Boston is a quality team, and I think they are likely to get the win tonight, but don’t count this young Thunder squad out. On the second night of a back-to-back for both teams, OKC might just have the better team when it comes to youth, so bounce back may be just what the doctor ordered.
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- SG: Luguentz Dort
- SF: Josh Giddey
- PF: Darius Bazley
- C: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
Celtics
- PG: Dennis Schröder
- SG: Marcus Smart
- SF: Jayson Tatum
- PF: Grant Williams
- C: Al Horford
Injuries
Thunder
- Vit Krejci is OUT (G League – on assignment).
- Theo Maledon is OUT (G League – on assignment).
- Tre Mann is OUT (G League – on assignment).
- Mike Muscala is OUT (rest).
- Paul Watson is OUT (G League – two-way).
Celtics
- Jaylen Brown is OUT (strained right hamstring).
- Dennis Schröder is PROBABLE (sprained left ankle).
- Robert Williams III is DOUBTFUL (left knee tendinopathy).
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 14-12 against the Celtics (5-8 at home, 9-4 on the road).
- The Thunder has won the season series with the Celtics 4 times, lost it 3 times, and tied 6 times.
- The Thunder went 1-1 against the Celtics last season (0-1 at home, 1-0 on the road).