A matchup between the Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder is the highlight of the night in the NBA on Thursday as we prepare for another 9-game slate. Amazon Prime Video will also have 76ers vs Pistons live at 7:00 PM ET, but my focus is on the Celtics vs Thunder clash at 9:30 PM ET. I’ve pieced together a Celtics vs Thunder parlay at +530 odds, featuring 2 of the biggest names on the court in Jaylen Brown and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Let’s break it down, while you can also find out our expert NBA picks for all 9 matchups on Thursday, March 12.
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Celtics +6.5 (-106)
Jaylen Brown to score 25+ points (+100)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 2+ made threes (+118)
Celtics vs Thunder parlay odds: +530
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Celtics vs Thunder parlay pick: Boston Celtics +6.5 over OKC Thunder (-106)
It will be a potential NBA Finals preview when the Oklahoma City Thunder entertain the Boston Celtics on Thursday night. Boston has its sights set on the #1 seed in the East now that Jayson Tatum is back on the floor and Detroit is scuffling a bit at the moment. For my money, the Celtics are too good to be getting this sizable number of points, so my Celtics vs Thunder prediction is for the visitors to cover. Boston fell at San Antonio earlier this week, but they C’s started their road trip with a victory at Cleveland, and they boast a 14-4 record in their last 18 contests. Tatum has played in 3 games upon his return and is averaging 19.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 3.7 apg while logging exactly 27 minutes on each occasion.
Oklahoma City is also winning its fair share of games, but the Thunder aren’t crushing people. In their last 15 outings, the Thunder have prevailed by double digits only 3 times. Jalen Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein are still sidelined, so why should we expect anything to change now that OKC has to face one of the best teams in the NBA? That being said, both Tatum and White are questionable for Thursday. It’s a load management thing for Tatum, while White has a minor knee contusion. It sounds like both should be available, but you never know. Let’s take Boston plus the points, but proceed with caution until their statuses are confirmed.
Read our full Celtics vs Thunder prediction
Celtics vs Thunder SGP pick: Jaylen Brown to score 25+ points (+100)
After getting tossed early in the loss to San Antonio the other day, you just know Jaylen Brown will come out with a mindset to attack right from the get go in this game, and that’s exactly what the leader of the Celtics needs to do in order to set the tone for the rest of the team. His scoring has been very consistent this year, and we haven’t seen a dip even with Jayson Tatum returning and taking away some of his shot attempts.
Brown averages 29.1 points per game in 28 games on the road this season, while shooting over 48% from the field. He’s cleared this line in 71% of games played this year (41 of 58), and there will be no lack of motivation for him to go off in Thursday’s game after the Thunder limited him to just 10 points the last time these teams met. He’s averaging 23 points in 10 meetings, but let’s push that to 25 as the Celtics put on a solid performance here.
Find out our best NBA player prop bets for tonight’s action, featuring Derrick White in Celtics vs Thunder
Celtics vs Thunder SGP pick: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 2+ made threes (+118)
It’s not often you see a Wilt Chamberlain record be broken these days in the NBA, but that’s exactly what Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can do as his Thunder take on the Celtics here. With his masterful 35-point performance and game-winning three against the Nuggets, SGA has tied Wilt for most consecutive 20+ point games in NBA history at 126 in a row. Getting to 20 should be a breeze here for the reigning MVP, and I’m also interested in how he shoots from downtown after that 3-for-7 effort against Denver.
The Celtics have been a mid-table team as far as three-point defense goes this season, allowing opponents to shoot 36.1% from distance. That number has slowly risen to 37% in their last 3 games, as they are still adjusting to life with Jayson Tatum in the line-up, with their defensive schemes are adapting accordingly. With that in mind, I am going for SGA to drain a pair here, he has done it in 7 consecutive meetings. Further, he is shooting 54.1% from downtown on 2.9 makes per game during that stretch.
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