The Boston Celtics are rolling. Not only are they 19-6 over their last 25 games, but they also got Jayson Tatum back over the weekend, cruising to a pair of easy wins against the Dallas Mavericks and Cleveland Cavaliers in his first two games back.
The Celtics get a day off on Monday to catch their breath before their biggest test of the season this week: back-to-back road games against the two best teams in the NBA.
Boston visits the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday, who have the league’s second-best record at 47-17 and third-best net rating. The Spurs have been even hotter than the Celtics lately, going 15-1 over their last 16 games.
Then Boston faces the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday. The Thunder have the league’s best record at 50-15 and are also hot after winning 10 of their last 12. They also have the NBA’s best net rating and top defensive rating.
Both games are potential NBA Finals previews for the Celtics. Oklahoma City has the shortest championship odds at DraftKings Sportsbook at +140, while Boston has the second-best odds at +550. San Antonio has the fourth-best title odds at +850, with the Denver Nuggets sandwiched between them and the Celtics at +600.
Boston’s been one of the best road teams in the NBA this year, going 22-11 away from TD Garden. The Celtics already lost their first game against the Spurs in January, falling 100-95 at home. This will be their first time facing the reigning champs this season.
If Boston can win one of those games or at least keep them close, it will cement its status as a legitimate title contender heading into the final month of the regular season.
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