The Boston Celtics (37-15, 20-6 Home), one of the NBA’s top scoring teams, play host to the Phoenix Suns (27-26, 8-17 Away) on Friday. Phoenix was blown out by the Atlanta Hawks 132-100 at Footprint Center on Wednesday. With 23 points, Mikal Bridges was the scoring leader in the loss.
Deandre Ayton added 20 points and nine rebounds. The Suns are the seventh seed in the Western Conference. Boston won in dominant fashion on Wednesday at TD Garden, beating the Brooklyn Nets 139-96. Jayson Tatum had 31 points and nine rebounds, carrying the team.
The Celtics are first in the Eastern Conference, two games ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks.The teams are meeting for the last time this season. Boston will be looking for a season sweep against Phoenix after getting the win in the only earlier meeting 125-98 at Footprint Center in December 2022.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 25 points and seven rebounds. Josh Okogie had 28 points and seven rebounds in the loss. Ayton and Bridges, averaging 17.4 and 16.9 points per game, respectively, have led the Suns in scoring this season. Ayton also has grabbed 9.9 rebounds per game, while Bridges has dished 3.6 assists per game.
Tatum (31.1 ppg) and Brown (27.0) have powered the Celts on offense. Tatum ranks fourth in the league. Tatum also has posted 8.7 rebounds per game. Marcus Smart has tallied 7.2 assists per game. The Celtics are averaging 118.2 points per game, ranking as one of the highest-scoring offenses in the NBA (2nd).
The Celtics have had success in the Suns’ last 10 trips to TD Garden, winning six. In the last 10 games, Phoenix is 6-4 with an average margin of -1.0 (112.8-113.8). Boston has a 7-3 record over the last 10, scoring 116.2 points per game on average while holding opponents to 109.2 (+7.0 margin).
SUNS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points per game:
Mikal Bridges: 22.2 | 16.9 | +5.3
Rebounds per game:
Deandre Ayton: 12.5 | 9.9 | +2.6
Mikal Bridges: 3.0 | 4.4 | -1.4
Assists per game:
Mikal Bridges: 4.8 | 3.6 | +1.2
CELTICS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Derrick White: 24.6 | 17.0 | +7.6
Points per game:
Derrick White: 15.4 | 10.4 | +5.0
Al Horford: 7.0 | 9.4 | -2.4
Assists per game:
Malcolm Brogdon: 4.7 | 3.7 | +0.9
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Boston Celtics -10.5 (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
