Celtics to Host Suns in Friday Night Matchup

Currently holding the second position in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics are set to face the Phoenix Suns at home on Friday night, aiming to recover from a recent home loss. Boston, with a record of 56-20, is coming off a 124-103 defeat against Miami on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Phoenix, standing at 35-41, experienced a 133-123 loss in Milwaukee on Tuesday. In their previous encounter last Wednesday, the Celtics decisively won against the Suns in Phoenix with a score of 132-102. For this game, Kevin Durant of the Suns is sidelined due to an ankle injury, while Jaylen Brown of the Celtics is questionable with a knee issue.

The Celtics are favored by 15 points, and the over/under is set at 228 points.

Why the Suns Could Cover the Spread

The Suns are currently one game away from the Western Conference play-in tournament qualification with only six games remaining. The absence of Durant presents a significant challenge for Phoenix in their upcoming game against the Celtics. The Suns are on a four-game losing streak, which began with a 30-point home loss to the Celtics last week.

For the Suns to keep the game competitive, Devin Booker needs to significantly improve upon his 14-point performance from their last game against Boston. Although he scored 39 points and provided 11 assists on Tuesday, it wasn`t enough as Phoenix`s defense struggled in Milwaukee. Notably, Booker`s career-high score of 70 points was achieved at TD Garden in March 2017, which remains a franchise record.

Why the Celtics Could Cover the Spread

The Celtics are currently second in the Eastern Conference, trailing the Cavaliers by five games. They are almost certain to secure the No. 2 seed and will play against the winner of the Play-In Tournament. Boston is looking to bounce back after their nine-game winning streak was interrupted by a home loss to Miami on Wednesday.

Jayson Tatum, a key forward for the Celtics, is averaging 27.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists this season. Boston is ranked eighth in the NBA for points per game (116.7) while allowing the third-fewest points defensively (107.9). Eager to redeem themselves after a subpar performance earlier in the week, the Celtics will aim for a dominant win on Friday night.

Prediction for Suns vs. Celtics

Predictions suggest a total of over 234 points in the game. It is also indicated that one side of the spread is a strong bet, hitting in nearly 60% of simulations.

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