Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Boston Celtics Preview, Picks, & Best Bets (3/25/26)
The Oklahoma City Thunder (57-15) travel to face the Boston Celtics (47-24) at 7:30 p.m. Eastern. These teams recently played a thriller on March 12 that was decided by a pair of Chet Holmgren free throws in the final few seconds. Will the Celtics avenge this heartbreaking loss?
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Thunder vs. Celtics Odds
Thunder vs. Celtics Best Bets & Picks
The best bet in this matchup is taking Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to record at least seven assists.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Over 6.5 Assists (+118 FanDuel)
Lets’ run this one back. Boston’s defense surrenders the second-fewest isolation field goal attempts per game and also defends pick-and-roll ball handlers at a high level. On the flip side, they allow the third-highest rate (33.1%) of catch-and-shoot triples in the NBA.
During the last matchup between these teams, the Celtics often showed help and oriented their defense to deter Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from attacking the paint. The reigning league MVP responded by taking what the defense gave him and posting nine assists and 22 potential assists. He also torched them for 35 points on 13-of-18 shooting from the field.
Look for Boston to once again try to turn Gilgeous-Alexander into a playmaker, especially in the fourth quarter.
Thunder vs. Celtics Preview & Breakdown
Oklahoma City has maintained its lead over San Antonio for the one seed by winning 15 of 16 games since the All-Star break. The reigning champs racked up victories despite shooting just 46.6% from the field and 35.8% from deep during this stretch. Defense, triumphing in the possession battle, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s clutch performances are propelling the Thunder.
Jalen Williams returned to action for the first time since Feb. 11 and immediately made his presence felt. He produced 18 points, four rebounds, and six assists across 20 minutes against Philadelphia. The non-Gilgeous-Alexander minutes should be smoother with Williams back, especially since the team is fully healthy for the first time this season (excluding rookie Thomas Sorber, who suffered a torn ACL in September). Securing the one seed and staying healthy are the two biggest goals for Oklahoma City over its final 10 games.
Meanwhile, the Celtics are 6-3 since Jayson Tatum made his season debut earlier this month. The 6x All-Star has struggled mightily with his shot, as he’s at 38.8% from the field and 29.3% from beyond the arc. Tatum is also occasionally stalling the offense by dribbling a bit too much. But he will knock off the rust eventually, and the veteran is contributing in other areas besides scoring, such as crashing the glass and playing quality defense. Celtics fans should be extremely optimistic about Tatum returning to his pre-injury self by next season.
Can Boston capture the one seed? It’s unlikely at this point despite Cade Cunningham’s injury because the Celtics have five more losses than Detroit with 11 games remaining. Plus, the Pistons hold the tiebreaker. New York only has one more loss than Boston, so the Celtics need to fend off the Knicks down the stretch in order to secure home-court advantage in a potential second round series against Jalen Brunson and company.
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