Oklahoma City Thunder | Game #35 Preview: Boston Celtics

Zachary LowJanuary 5, 2025 No Comments


Friday’s game in OKC between the Thunder and the Knicks was considered by many to be the game of the year due to the win streaks that both teams entered the game with, and it lived up to the hype, but today’s meeting might be even better as OKC hosts the Boston Celtics. OKC is sitting comfortably atop the Western Conference standings—a full 7 games ahead of the Houston Rockets and the Memphis Grizzlies. Meanwhile, Boston is is in 2nd in the East, 4.5 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Celtics enter today’s tilt on a 3-game winning streak, while OKC has won 14 straight, including 6 straight at home. Streaks go out the window a bit, though, when you put two powerhouse teams against one another, and that’s exactly what can be expected this afternoon. Both the Thunder and the Celtics are top-notch defensive teams with powerful scoring options. OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Boston’s Jayson Tatum are two of the NBA’s premier talents, and they are both surrounded by supporting casts that are brilliant in their own right.

The Thunder has made a bad habit as of late in trailing early, even against considerably worse teams, only to rally in the second half and open up solid leads for big wins. That cannot be the case today as the Celtics have the ability to beat you down and keep you there. If OKC is going to continue winning, they need to bring the energy from even before tip-off so that they can get the job taken care of against an experienced championship squad.

Thunder Against the Spread | OKC Barely Favored at Home Against Celtics

Game Details

Tip-Off: 2:30 PM CT

Location: Paycom Center (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)

Television: FanDuel TV – Oklahoma, NBA TV

Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal

Twitter: Follow @ZacharyLowNBA for live tweets and discussion during the game

Game Notes: Oklahoma City Thunder Official Game Notes, Boston Celtics Official Game Notes

Projected Starters

Thunder

  • PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
  • SG: Cason Wallace
  • SF: Luguentz Dort
  • PF: Jalen Williams
  • C: Isaiah Hartenstein

Celtics

  • PG: Jrue Holiday
  • SG: Derrick White
  • SF: Jaylen Brown
  • PF: Jayson Tatum
  • C: Kristaps Porzingis

Injury Report

Thunder

  • Alex Caruso (strained left hip) is OUT.
  • Alex Ducas (G League — two-way) is OUT.
  • Adam Flagler (G League —two-way) is OUT.
  • Chet Holmgren (fractured right iliac wing) is OUT.
  • Ajay Mitchell (sprained right great toe) is OUT.
  • Nikola Topic (sprained left knee) is OUT.

Celtics

  • Jaylen Brown (strained right shoulder) is QUESTIONABLE.
  • JD Davidson (G League — two-way) is OUT.
  • Drew Peterson (G League — two-way) is OUT.
  • Baylor Scheierman (G League — on assignment) is OUT.
  • Anton Watson (G League — two-way) is OUT.

Head-to-Head

  • Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder are 16-16 against the Celtics (7-9 at home, 9-7 on the road).
  • The Thunder have won the season series with the Celtics 4 times, lost it 4 times, and tied 8 times.
  • The Thunder went 1-1 against the Celtics last season (1-0 at home, 0-1 on the road).
  • The home team has won the last 4 times in this matchup.

Leave a Reply