A potential NBA Finals preview will take place on Wednesday when the defending champion Boston Celtics (47-18) host the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder (53-12). The home team has prevailed in the last five meetings between these two, which plays a role in Boston being 2-point home favorites in the latest NBA odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. The Thunder prevailed 105-92, in OKC when they met on Jan. 5. Jalen Williams (hip) is out and Jayson Tatum (knee) is questionable, but these teams’ other All-Stars, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jaylen Brown, are good to go. They could be focal points for anyone filling out NBA props and NBA parlay picks. Before making any Thunder vs. Celtics bets or NBA same-game parlay picks, make sure to check out the NBA predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model has simulated Celtics vs. Thunder 10,000 times and just revealed its coveted NBA same-game parlay picks and betting predictions. Here are the three best bets for a Celtics vs. Thunder SGP, that results in over a 3-1 payout, per the model:
Under 228.5 (-110 at FanDuel)
The last matchup between these squads saw just 197 combined points scored, easily going under the total of 225. The 92 points put up by Boston is their fewest all season as it fell victim to OKC’s stifling defense. The Thunder lead the NBA in defensive rating, field goal percentage allowed, 3-point percentage allowed, and they give up the second-fewest points per game. The Under has hit in three of the last four OKC games, and the Under has gone 8-4 over Boston’s last dozen contests. The model projects the Under to hit in Wednesday’s game in over 50% of simulations. If you’re looking to bet this line individually, DraftKings Sportsbook has a better price at -108.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Under 33.5 points (-114 at FanDuel)
Gilgeous-Alexander leads the NBA with 32.7 points per game but hasn’t been quite as prolific on the road as at the Paycom Center. He’s averaging 33.6 points at home but that drops to 31.8 points on the road as the Thunder head to the TD Garden. SGA is coming off a down outing in his last game (25 points) versus another of the league’s elite teams in the Denver Nuggets, and now he’ll have to take on the league’s No. 3 scoring defense without his sidekick in Williams. With no other healthy Thunder player besides SGA averaging more than 14.6 points, Boston can focus its defensive efforts on him. Thus, the model forecasts his points total to hit the Under with points to spare, as he’s projected to finish with 28.9 points.
Jrue Holiday Over 3.5 assists (+104 at FanDuel)
Holiday’s past performance indicates one should jump on Over 3.5 assists as he’s posted at least four assists in an astounding 16 straight games versus Oklahoma City. You have to go back to 2017 when he was with the Pelicans to find the last time the two-time All-Star had under 3.5 assists against OKC. Despite Boston scoring a season-low of 92 points versus the Thunder in their January meeting, Holiday produced six assists, and he has just four games all year with more dimes. OKC allowed four different Denver Nuggets to have at least four assists in their last game on Monday, as the model projects Holiday to finish with 4.0 assists in this plus-money NBA prop.
Same-game parlay odds at FanDuel: +349
How to make NBA SGP picks
You’ve seen the NBA parlay picks for Celtics vs. Thunder from the model. Now, see which side covers, including the score prediction. Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Thunder vs. Celtics spread to back, all from the model that has returned well over $10,000 on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.
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