Who’s playing
Boston Celtics @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Current records: Boston 26-9, Oklahoma City 29-5
How to watch
- When: Sunday January 5, 2025 at 3:30 p.m. ET
- Or: Paycom Center – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- TV: TVNB
- Follow: CBS Sports app
- Online broadcast: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket cost: $55.00
What you need to know
The Boston Celtics’ road trip continues as they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday at the Paycom Center. The Celtics are strutting around with some offensive power as they have averaged 119.3 points per game this season.
The Celtics will enter Friday’s contest hoping to continue their momentum: They only won by three the last time they took the court, which could have inspired the 23 points they handed out to the Rockets on Friday. The Celtics beat the Rockets 109-86. Boston has made a habit of putting opponents off the field, having won 11 games by 19 points or more this season.
Meanwhile, the Thunder entered their game against the Knicks on Friday with eight straight wins, but they will enter their next game with nine. They started the new year with a 117-107 victory over New York. Oklahoma City trailed 66-52 with 0:32 left in the second quarter, but they still came back for a handy ten-point victory.
The Thunder’s victory was a true team effort, with many players putting in strong performances. Perhaps the best of them was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 33 points and seven assists. Gilgeous-Alexander’s night made it four straight games in which he scored at least 30 points. Another player who made the difference was Aaron Wiggins, who went 7 of 9 on his way to 19 points plus five rebounds and two blocks.
Boston has been on a roll lately, winning four of their last five games, improving to 26-9 this season. As for Oklahoma City, their victory was their fifth straight at home, which improved their record to 29-5.
If fans of both teams were happy after their last outing, their bettors probably weren’t, as neither team covered. Looking ahead, the Thunder should win a close contest, except for the buzzers. This contest will be their 27th straight as a favorite (so far in that stretch, they are 17-9 ATS).
Rebounding will likely be a big factor in this contest: The Celtics haven’t given up the ball easily this season, averaging just 11.4 turnovers per game (they’re ranked second in total turnovers per game). However, it’s not like the Thunder (currently ranked first) struggles in this department, as their average is only 11.1. Given these competing forces, it will be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Odds
Oklahoma City is a slight favorite with 2 points against Boston, according to the latest NBA Odds.
The bettors were very much in tune with the betting community on this point, as the game opened with a 2 point gap and stayed there.
The over/under is 221.5 points.
See NBA Pick for every game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get Picks Now.
History of the series
Boston has won 6 of its last 10 games against Oklahoma City.
- April 3, 2024 – Boston 135 vs. Oklahoma City 100
- January 2, 2024 – Oklahoma City 127 vs. Boston 123
- January 3, 2023 – Oklahoma City 150 vs. Boston 117
- November 14, 2022 – Boston 126 vs. Oklahoma City 122
- March 21, 2022 – Boston 132 vs. Oklahoma City 123
- November 20, 2021 – Boston 111 vs. Oklahoma City 105
- April 27, 2021 – Oklahoma City 119 vs. Boston 115
- March 27, 2021 – Boston 111 vs. Oklahoma City 94
- March 8, 2020 – Oklahoma City 105 vs. Boston 104
- February 9, 2020 – Boston 112 vs. Oklahoma City 111
