Oklahoma City Thunder vs Boston Celtics Odds, Pick, Prediction Today | NBA Betting Preview (Wednesday, April 3)

Here's everything you need to know about Thunder vs. Celtics on Wednesday, April 3 — our expert prediction and betting picks for today's game.

If the NBA season ended today, both the Thunder and Celtics would own a top-three seed in their respective conference with Boston owning the top spot in the East.

Even though the C's will be the No. 1 seed, the season doesn't end today.

Instead, we have a matchup between these two teams, with the Celtics entering as high as a nine-point favorite as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander battles an injury for Oklahoma City.

So, where does the betting value lie? Let's dive in.

The Thunder find themselves in a tough schedule spot in this game. This is the third game in four nights and the second leg of a back-to-back all on the road for a young team in early April.

That's tough sledding, but the team still looks great.

OKC has also been dealing with some injury maintenance, mainly to its superstar in Gilgeous-Alexander. SGA was ruled out for the game against the 76ers on Tuesday, so I do expect him to play in Boston. But right now, the odds make it about a 50/50 chance.

Be sure to look for alerts from Thunder beat writers at shootaround.

The Celtics are so clearly the best team in the NBA that with two weeks remaining in the regular season, they have already clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and are just one win away from holding the 1-seed in the NBA and throughout the playoffs.

Boston has shown to have a dominant home-court advantage, and locking that up will only make this team tougher to beat. However, with seven games remaining and the Wizards, Hornets and Blazers still on the schedule, the urgency for the Celtics to clinch it on Wednesday will be very low.

The main priorities for the Celtics will be to play well and stay healthy. For that reason, it's tough to put money on them.

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This game is particularly difficult to bet and even may be a complete stay-away.

The Celtics are 8.5-point home favorites because of the tough schedule spot for the Thunder and lingering uncertainty around SGA's availability.

At the same time, a bad number for the Celtics doesn't equal a good number for the Thunder because if their MVP candidate does miss the game, that's a ticket I don't want to hold.

I think the play here is the over — and a small bet there — because ultimately I expect SGA to suit up and attack the rim while the Celtics put up a ton of 3s.

If both teams are playing offense to their strengths, there could be a ton of scoring. Make it a small play, but take the over 229 currently available at BetMGM.

Pick: Over 229