The Big Dog was back on-point yesterday, as Paul George lead all scorers with 25 points and the Indiana Pacers survived a late rally by the Boston Celtics, to win 103-98. Today’s action showcases some very interesting contests, with the Clippers, Bulls, Pistons and Timberwolves all representing potential value but just missing the cut. Not that The Big Dog wishes to be seen as picking on anyone… but Thursday’s “Play of the Day” is following a very similar line to yesterday’s successful selection.
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Boston Celtics
The Celtics are home, on the second leg of an East-West back-to-back, where they will host a team that The Big Dog would give them a good chance of winning… if they were at full strength. Boston have been a tough assignment at TD Garden (23-11) but without Jae Crowder, who missed his first game of the season yesterday and is expected to be out for two weeks, the team struggled to get going on the offensive end. They shot just 38.3 percent from the floor and 25 percent from the three-point line. Coach Brad Stevens used a starting lineup with three guards, to cover the absence of Crowder but Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart shot a combined 14 of 43, including 4 of 21 from downtown. Stevens may be forced to re-think his strategy against the Thunder, who have none other than Kevin Durant and his near-seven-foot frame, playing out of small forward. If the Celtics were given fits by Paul George, the problem gets exponentially worse in trying to deal with Durant on the closing leg of a back-to-back. As much as the Thunder have been a fraction disappointing on the road (18-13), this is certainly a game where they appear to hold all the aces. Avery Bradley will be handed the assignment on Russell Westbrook, with the job of defending Durant likely to be done via committee. That is going to get ugly for the home team, to the point where they virtually just need to hope he has an off night. The Big Dog thinks KD is primed to explode and this should be the catalyst behind a very solid Thunder win. Don’t discount the fight in the Celtics but the spread of under six points won’t be enough.
Selection
Oklahoma City Thunder -5.0 @ $1.95 (William Hill)
Tools
Results Spreadsheet
