The Phoenix Suns (38-27) travel to the Boston Celtics (51-14) and will face off Thursday evening. The Suns lost at home to this Boston team by 10 points five days ago. This matchup seems to indicate that Phoenix cannot compete with the overall better roster of Boston at this point.
Although teams can appear completely different, not even 24 hours later, this seems like a game that Boston will control. Furthermore, the Celtics are overall the better team, while the Suns struggle to keep pace offensively with the better teams in the NBA. Furthermore, the Suns are currently in a Play-In position. Conversely, Boston is nearly 10 points clear of the second-place team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
But do you see the home team winning in Arizona tonight, or will Boston pick up yet another road victory?
Phoenix Suns vs Boston Celtics Betting Odds
| Team | Spread | Total | MoneyLine |
| Phoenix | +5 -108 | O 225.5 -110 | +180 |
| Boston | -5 -112 | U 225.5 -110 | -218 |
| **Odds Courtesy of DraftKings** | |||
Phoenix Suns vs Boston Celtics Game Details
- Fixture: Phoenix Suns vs Boston Celtics
- Date and Time: March 14, 2024 @ 7:30 pm EST
- Location: TD Garden in Boston, MA
Apex Tale of the Tape
| Phoenix Suns | Vs. | Boston Celtics |
| 38-27 | Record | 51-14 |
| 117.0 | Points Per Game | 120.8 |
| 49.3 | FG% | 48.5 |
| 37.6 | 3PT% | 38.5 |
| 44.0 | Rebounds Per Game | 47.1 |
| 114.3 | Points Allowed Per Game | 109.6 |
| 46.3 | Defensive FG% | 44.9 |
| 36.3 | Defensive 3PT% | 34.8 |
| 76.7 | Defensive FT% | 76.6 |
| 41.7 | Defensive Rebounds Per Game | 43.4 |
| 3-2 | Last 5 W-L | 3-2 |
| 101.3 | Team Pace | 100.1 |
Key Stats
Phoenix Suns
Contrary to what you may think, the Suns are mostly fine defensively. Despite their reputation, this team struggles more on the offensive end. While Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are two of the better players in the league, they tend to be the only players who are able to get themselves going offensively. Additionally, Booker is in for this game as well, after returning against Cleveland. Jusuf Nurkic is the one who needs to step up today for the Phoenix Suns. Nurkic averages 10.8 rebounds per game.
However, he has gone for 20+ rebounds before and likely needs to control the glass on both ends if they are going to beat the Boston Celtics today. Meanwhile, Eric Gordon is making a game-time decision today. Additionally, Bradley Beal went for 25 points against Boston in the last game. Moreover, if he is able to match that production today, then this son’s team stands a good chance of defending their home court tonight.
Boston Celtics
Boston is the best team in the NBA right now. Even though they have skepticism surrounding them, they should be able to be in conversations throughout the playoffs this year. Moreover, the Boston Celtics hope to continue their good run of play. They are on a three-game winning streak, and dropping one tonight against the Phoenix Suns is not what they’re looking to do.
Furthermore, Jason Tatum scored 29 points in the last game against the Suns. Also, Jaylen Brown scored 27 points against the Suns. But Luke Kornet scored 14 points off of only six of seven shots from the field. If he or another bench player is able to contribute at least 15, then this Celtics roster, which is overall better than the Sun’s, should be able to cruise to an easy victory tonight.
Game Prediction
This game should play out as expected. Although the Phoenix Suns are still a good team, I see the Boston Celtics controlling this game and covering the spread tonight. Furthermore, this Boston team is one of the better ones in the NBA right now, and they should have a somewhat easy time making this game out of reach. While a complete blowout is unlikely, a comfortable win is completely on the table tonight.
While Phoenix hopes to defend their home court, I don’t see it happening with the entire responsibility being on the shoulders of Durant. Therefore, I am only going with Boston to cover this spread. Although the under is the safer play, a late back door cover or hot quarter from the Phoenix Suns makes me hesitant to pick or touch anything regarding the point total. The Boston Celtics will score enough points, but the concern is how close Phoenix will be able to keep it at the end of the game.
Final Pick
Boston Celtics -5
About the Author
Gabriel is a lifelong sports fan. Pick a sport, and he’ll enjoy talking about it with you! From football to soccer, combat sports, and volleyball! You can follow Gabriel on Twitter @BigTenGabriel to enjoy all of his great content. Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel, where we do several shows daily.
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