Boston Celtics vs. Oklahoma City Thunder NBA Preview
The Oklahoma City Thunder look for their first win of the season when they host the Boston Celtics. Both teams are off to a poor starts and are looking to turn the corner.
Thursday, October 25 at 8:00 PM ET
Chesapeake Energy Arena
Odds: Celtics are 1-point favorites. The total is 217.
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Boston Celtics
With young stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown developing their immense talent and with All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward finally healthy, the Celtics were supposed to be the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. They've been far from it so far, going just 2-2 to open the season. That includes a disappointing 93-90 home loss against the Magic last Monday.
Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with 22 points, eight rebounds and five assists but he was just 2-for-8 from 3-point range. Gordon Hayward had a poor game with 11 points and Jayson Tatum and Jaylen combined for 12 points on 1-for-9 from beyond the arc.
Both teams struggled from 3-point distance. The Magic missed 25 of 35 3-point shots but the Celtics shot 22.5 percent (9-for-40).
The Celtics are averaging 99.8 points per game, which is 29th in the NBA. They grab 50.5 rebounds per game (6th), dish out 23.0 assists per game (19th) and allow 98.5 points per game (1st).
Jayson Tatum leads the Celtics with 17.5 points and 10.5 rebounds. Kyrie Irving averages 16.5 points and a team-best 5.8 assists. Marcus Morris adds 11.8 points and 6.3 rebounds off the bench.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Russell Westbrook returned but he couldn't help the Thunder earn their first win of the season. They're 0-3 after a 131-120 home loss against the Kings last Sunday.
Westbrook had 32 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in 35 minutes. Paul George score 29 points and Steven Adams added 10 points and 14 rebounds. The Thunder struggled at the free-throw line, going 19 of 30.
Oklahoma City took 104 shots but made just 44.2 percent of them. Westbrook and George were a combined 23 of 41 but the rest of the team was 23 of 63. Dennis Schroder made just 5 of 16 shots against the Kings and he's shooting just 28.0 percent (14-for-50) this season.
The Thunder are averaging 104.0 points per game (27th in the NBA), they grab 49.3 rebounds per game (7th), dish out 20.7 assists per game (28th) and allow 115.7 points per game (17th).
Russell Westbrook leads the Thunder with 32.0 points and 8.0 assists. Paul George is averaging 25.3 points and a team-best 3.0 steals. Steven Adams adds 14.7 points and a team-best 14.3 rebounds.
The Over is 6-1 in Oklahoma City's last seven games against Atlantic Division opponents. Russell Westbrook hates to lose and he'll have a dominant performance while looking to keep pace with Boston's high-powered offense.
The Over is 10-1 in Boston's last 11 games when playing on two days' rest and both teams have enough talent to run up the scoreboard tonight.
NBA Pick: Over 217 (-110) at Jazz Sports
Check odds here: https://goo.gl/dVwAAb
Odds as seen on ESPN Chalk: https://goo.gl/ji6GJZ
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