After a 1-5 skid, the Boston Celtics have seemingly righted the ship, as they’ve tacked on four wins in a row, including some statement victories against the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers.
They’ve held onto their throne in the Eastern Conference standings, staving off the red-hot Brooklyn Nets for the time being.
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They’ll get a worthy challenge when they have to head west to take on the surprisingly competitive Oklahoma City Thunder, though.
While OKC has plenty of talent, fans and analysts expected the squad to be at least a year away from appearing as competent as they have so far, especially after losing second-overall pick Chet Holmgren for the entirety of the 2022-2023 NBA season.
The main reason for their surprising success has undoubtedly been Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who may deserve an All-Star nod for his spectacular performance thus far in the season.
Averaging over 31 points and five assists per game, SGA has established himself as one of the most fearsome slashers in the entire NBA. With his unorthodox handle and funky cadence, he’s unstoppable when he slinks his way toward the rim, resulting in either a lay-up, floater, or a trip to the foul line, as he’s become one of the NBA’s premier freebie merchants.
Although the playbook has been out on the Canadian superstar for several years now, teams are still powerless to stop him when he gets going.
If there was any team best equipped to stop SGA, it’d be the Boston Celtics who have a litany of long, rangy defenders that they can throw at him to try to stymie his drives to the rack. Between Marcus Smart, Derrick White, Malcolm Brogdon, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum, the Cs have plenty of perimeter stoppers to try to slow him down.
And if they don’t get the job done, Robert Williams III and Al Horford will be there waiting for him on the back line. And still, that might not be enough.
Luckily for the Celtics, they don’t have to stop SGA to win, they just have to slow him down enough for Tatum and Brown to try to outscore him after 48 minutes.
The two Jays have been arguably the NBA’s best two-way duo, and while their defensive prowess is nothing to scoff at, they might be even better on the other side of the court. This matchup should be more interesting than it has been since Kevin Durant was suiting up for the Thunder.
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| Title: Boston Celtics vs Oklahoma City Thunder betting preview
| Author: Andy Quach
| Date: Jan 3, 2023
