Thunder vs. Celtics Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for January 3 (OKC Gives Boston a Scare at Paycom Center)

Thunder vs. Celtics Game Info

• Date: Tuesday, January 3, 2023
• Time: 8:00 PM ET
• Venue: Paycom Center -- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Coverage: BSOK and NBCS-BOS

The 2022-23 NBA season continues on Tuesday with three more games, including a battle between the Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder. The Celtics rank first in the Eastern Conference with a 26-11 record, while the Thunder check in 13th in the Western Conference with an 15-21 record.

Boston enters as a victor in four of its last five games, but fell short in a 123-111 loss to the Denver Nuggets its last time out on Sunday. Meanwhile, Oklahoma City has lost three of its last four games after suffering a 115-96 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday. Which team will win tonight?

Thunder vs. Celtics Odds & Spread

Celtics vs Thunder Betting Information

Favorite	Spread	Favorite Spread Odds	Underdog Spread Odds	Total	Over Total Odds	Under Total Odds	Favorite Moneyline	Underdog Moneyline
Celtics	-8.5	-	-	235.5	-110	-110	-375	300

• All NBA betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: OKC: (+300) | BOS: (-370)
• Spread: OKC: +9 (-112) | BOS: -9 (-108)
• Total: 233 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

The Celtics enter this contest as heavy road favorites on moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 8 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 233 points, which is about average compared to Tuesday's projected totals.

Thunder vs. Celtics Betting Trends

• The Celtics are 18-16-2 against the spread this season.
• The Thunder have been underdogs by 8.5 points or more eight times this season and are 6-2 ATS in those contests.
• Celtics games have finished with a final combined score above the over/under 17 times out of 35 chances this season.
• Thunder games this season have gone over the total in 19 of 35 opportunities (54.3%).
• Boston owns a better record against the spread when playing at home (11-8-0) than it does in road games (7-8-2).
• Oklahoma City has been better against the spread at home (11-7-0) than away (10-7-0) this season.

Thunder vs. Celtics Prediction & Pick

The Thunder were not expected to compete for a playoff spot this season, but the play-in game is still within reach at the midway point. That's despite the fact that Oklahoma City has lost eight of its last 12 games. Hosting the Celtics won't be easy considering they are an impressive 11-6 in away games.

OKC was bullied down low by Joel Embiid on Saturday and it wouldn't be surprising to see Boston employ a similar strategy tonight. The Thunder are giving up 53.1 points in the paint per game (No. 25 in NBA) as well as a whopping 56.3 rebounds per game (No. 30 in NBA). They are getting dominated.

Boston is 5-0 straight up in its last five road games against Oklahoma City, so I'll back the Celtics.

Final Score Prediction: Thunder: 113 | Celtics: 119

Thunder vs. Celtics Best Bet

There's no denying that this is a feisty Oklahoma City team. The Thunder are 7-3 against the spread (ATS) in their last 10 home games and 5-1 ATS in their last six Tuesday games. They fight to keep the score close and average a reliable 116.7 points per home game on a 46.4% shooting percentage.

Boston is just 1-6 ATS in its last seven games against Oklahoma City, too. In fact, the Celtics have emerged victorious by more than 9 points in one of their last 13 games against the Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey should feed off the home crowd for a great showing tonight.

Bet: Oklahoma City Thunder +9 (-110)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.