Suns and Celtics Set to Clash in Boston
Suns vs Celtics Odds, Matchup and More
The Suns hit the road to one of their biggest tests of the season when they go to Boston on Thursday to rematch the league-leading Celtics. Even though Boston has likely locked up the first seed in the East, they’re still out to prove themselves as the prohibitive NBA Finals favorite.
These teams last faced March 9th, when the Celtics took down the Suns 117-107. Kevin Durant, in a game without co-star Devin Booker, scored a season-high 45 points in the home loss. Boston’s all-star tandem led the way with Jayson Tatum scoring 29 points and Jaylen Brown contributing 27 points. While Durant kept the Suns in the game throughout, the Celtics proved too good, holding their first-quarter lead on the Suns throughout the entire game.
The Suns vs Celtics odds opened with Boston as -4.5 at home. The total is set at 231. Let’s see what we can find and make some pro basketball predictions on this cross-conference battle.
Phoenix Suns at Boston Celtics 
Points: (38-27) at (51-14)
Date, time:
Location: TD Garden Boston, Massachusetts
Live Stream: TNT
You Can’t Supplant Durant
The Suns are still trying to figure things out. With one of the most talented rosters in the NBA, they currently stand sixth in the West and are only a loss away from the dreaded Play-In Tournament. They are 5-5 in their last ten games and only rank 10th in offense and 13th in defense.
Phoenix is coming off a solid win against Cleveland led by Kevin Durant’s smooth 37 points. In his age 35 season, Durant is a two-time NBA Finals MVP and a league MVP and is averaging 28.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists on super-efficient shooting. He’s been the most reliable head in the Suns’ three-headed monster of Durant, Booker, and Bradley Beal.
Beyond that, Durant has been on a heater so far this March. He’s only scored less than 30 points in one game this month and has gone over his rebounding average in four of the last six games. Recently, the Celtics also haven’t been able to contain Durant, he’s averaging roughly 38 points and eight rebounds in his last three games against Boston. Check out the ‘over’ on Durant’s points+rebounds if you think this trend will continue.
Mean Green Machine
The Celtics suffered a rough end to their 11-game winning streak with back-to-back losses against Denver and Cleveland. Since then, they have bounced back, winning three in a row (and covering) even while dealing with injuries.
On Tuesday, Boston overcame injuries to stars Kristaps Porzingis and Jaylen Brown in a solid road win against the Utah Jazz. Led by Jayson Tatum’s 38 points and helpful contributions from Derrick White (24 points), Boston’s 20-0 third-quarter run was too much for the inferior Jazz to keep up with.
If Brown and Porzingis are set to miss Thursday’s game as well, there may be some Boston player prop opportunities. For Tatum fans, Tatum has averaged 28.5 points per game (slightly above his average of 27) in games without Jaylen Brown this season. His points prop could be worth looking at.
Jrue Holiday is who we expect to step up if Boston’s injury report is filled up again. Jrue is a Swiss army knife-type player able to fill in wherever he is needed. In his last four games, Jrue has bested his points+assists prop three out of four times. Expect him to take a larger offensive share again on Thursday if Boston continues to deal with injuries.
Does the Sun Shine in Boston?
Due to injuries, it is hard to take much from Boston and Phoenix’s first matchup this year and this game may be much of the same. Boston is 18-14 ATS at home this season (8-2 ATS in their last ten games) and Phoenix is 14-16 ATS on the road (2-8 ATS in last ten games). All signs would point towards Boston having a significant advantage, but with injuries, it is hard to be sure.
The Suns vs Celtics odds have Boston favored at -4.5 with a total of 231. Due to possible injuries, we suggest looking at player props in this one as the result will depend greatly on who ends up playing. With the recent offensive explosion, NBA games today can be hit or miss. Expect this matchup to be worth your while and take these tips, make some bets, and tune in on Thursday for a fun night.
Suns vs Celtics Odds
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