Celtics vs. Thunder NBA Predictions Against the Spread 11/3/17
Will the Celtics hang with the Thunder tonight as an underdog or will Oklahoma City roll?
The Odds: Celtics at Thunder, 9:30 p.m. ET, Friday
According to oddsmakers, Oklahoma City is a 6.5-point home favorite tonight against Boston. The Celtics opened as a 5-point underdog but the line climbed a full point and a half since then. As for the total, the number hit the board at 205 but jumped to 206.5.
Boston enters play with a 6-2 record overall and is 3-1 on the road. At the betting window, the Celtics are 7-1 and are a perfect 4-0 against the spread away from their home court.
Oklahoma City, meanwhile, is 4-3 straight up and 2-1 at home this season. The Thunder also has a winning ATS record at 4-3 and is 2-1 against the spread at home.
Boston Celtics
Coach Brad Stevens confirmed that Marcus Morris (knee) will play Friday vs. the Thunder, but will be limited to approximately 20 minutes off the bench.
After missing the first eight games of the season, Morris will make his season/Celtics debut. “He’s ready to roll,” said coach Stevens. “He’s been antsy to play now for a little bit.” After Friday, Boston plays a back-to-back on Sunday at Orlando and Monday at Atlanta. Stevens stated that Morris would only play in one of those two games. Jayson Tatum, Aron Baynes and Semi Ojeleye will see their minutes scaled back with Morris in the mix.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Russell Westbrook hit just 5-of-12 shots and scored 12 points for a second straight time on Tuesday, but also just missed a triple-double.
He finishes with 12 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, and without a steal, block or 3-pointer. He had a 12-13-13 triple-double on Saturday after scoring between 27 and 31 points in his previous three games. But he now has the pair of 12-point games along with a six-point game, as it’s clear he doesn’t need to do all the scoring by himself this season with Paul George and Carmelo Anthony around. Westbrook’s still going to be a fantasy monster and score a ton of points this season, but his scoring average was bound to take a hit. He’s averaging just 19.6 points right now after checking in at 31.6 points per game last year.
Our Prediction
The road team is 6-0-1 against the spread in the last seven meetings between these two teams. The underdog is also 4-1-1 against the number in the last six meetings. Finally, the Celtics are a perfect 7-0 against the spread in their last seven games so they’re worth a flier tonight.
Friday NBA Prediction: Boston Celtics +6.5
