Thunder vs. Celtics Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Wednesday, March 25

A potential NBA Finals preview takes place on Wednesday night, as the Boston Celtics (No. 2 in the East) host the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder.

OKC has won 12 games in a row, and it welcomed Jalen Williams (hamstring) back into the lineup on Wednesday night. That helped the Thunder easily down the Philadelphia 76ers, and they’re aiming to knock off another Eastern Conference foe in Boston.

The Thunder are set as favorites in this matchup after OKC won a two-point game in their first meeting of the season back on March 12.

Jayson Tatum (rest, Achilles) did not play in the last meetings between these teams, but he’s off the team’s injury report on Wednesday.

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Boston has something to play for down the stretch of the regular season, as it may be able to catch the Detroit Pistons for the No. 1 seed and the New York Knicks (No. 3 in the East) have been climbing behind Boston in the standings, sitting just percentage points back of it entering this matchup.

Let’s dive into the odds, a player prop target and a prediction for this marquee matchup in the NBA on March 25.

Thunder vs. Celtics Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Thunder -2.5 (-105)
Celtics +2.5 (-115)

Moneyline

Thunder: -142
Celtics: +120

Total

218.5 (Over -105/Under -115)

Thunder vs. Celtics How to Watch

Date: Wednesday, March 25
Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
Venue: TD Garden
How to Watch (TV): FanDuel Sports Network (Local), NBC Sports Boston
Thunder record: 57-15
Celtics record: 47-24

Thunder vs. Celtics Injury Reports

Thunder Injury Report

Brooks Barnhizer – out
Payton Sandfort – out
Thomas Sorber – out
Nikola Topic – out

Celtics Injury Report

Nikola Vucevic – out
Max Shulga – questionable
John Tonje – questionable
Amari Williams – questionable

Thunder vs. Celtics Best NBA Prop Bets

Thunder Best NBA Prop Bet

Jalen Williams OVER 12.5 Points (-114)

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why Williams remains undervalued after returning from a hamstring injury:

Oklahoma City Thunder star Jalen Williams returned to the lineup on Monday after a lengthy absence due to a hamstring injury, and he looked right at home against a short-handed Philadelphia 76ers team, dropping 18 points in just over 20 minutes.

Williams has a tough matchup against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, who rank fourth in the NBA in defensive rating this season. However, I think this prop is way too low for the Thunder star, as Williams has scored 13 or more points in 22 of his 27 games this season despite playing most of them on some sort of minutes restriction.

The All-NBA forward took 14 shots in his return to the lineup on Monday, and I expect a similar workload against Boston. Let’s buy low on Williams before the market corrects in the coming weeks.

Thunder vs. Celtics Prediction and Pick

For the first time in a long time, the Thunder have their entire rotation healthy as Ajay Mitchell returns from a suspension after he missed Monday’s win over Philly.

OKC held off Boston (with Tatum out) earlier this season, but the C’s have shown all year they can compete no matter who is in the lineup. Boston has a better net rating when Jaylen Brown is off the floor – pretty shocking – and it is the No. 2 seed in the East despite Tatum missing most of the season.

Despite that, I’m backing the Thunder in this matchup.

OKC’s offense should be much improved from the last meeting with Boston now that Williams is back, and the Celtics’ defense still ranks behind OKC in defensive rating. While the C’s can slow the pace down and try to win in the half court, Gilgeous-Alexander is going to be the best player on the floor in this matchup.

Now that Williams and Mitchell are in the fold, the Thunder have way more ways to beat teams offensively, while Boston has been a little shaky as of late (6-4 in its last 10).

During that 10-game stretch, the C’s are just 14th in the league in net rating while OKC is fifth. The Thunder haven’t lost in weeks, and I’ll trust them to keep their winning streak going on Wednesday.

Pick: Thunder Moneyline (-142 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

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