NBA Picks: Celtics @ Suns on ESPN Tonight

We’ve arrived at the final stretch of the NBA regular season, as the majority of teams have just 10 games remaining. There’s a full slate of games in the association tonight and a doubleheader on ESPN that starts with the Lakers visiting the Pacers before the Celtics head to Phoenix for a matchup with the Suns. While Boston sits in 2nd place in the Eastern Conference with a 53-19 record, Phoenix has struggled. The Suns are 35-37 and are clinging onto a play-in spot in the Western Conference, as they sit in 10th place.

The hosts need to win this game if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive, so let’s dive into our Celtics @ Suns NBA picks.

Boston Celtics Regular Season Recap

The Boston Celtics are the reigning NBA champions but surprisingly sit in 2nd place in the East. You have to give credit to the Cleveland Cavaliers, as they are 58-14 and have posted a 30-5 record at home. On the flip side, Boston is 24-12 at the TD Garden, but they are tied with the OKC Thunder for the best road record in the NBA (29-7). Boston has won five straight road contests and 13 of their last 14 away from home. However, Jayson Tatum suffered an ankle injury in the C’s 113-95 road win against the Sacramento Kings this past Monday, so his status is up in the air tonight. 

I don’t expect Tatum to suit up tonight, but that doesn’t mean Boston won’t come out victorious. The Celtics have five other players outside of Tatum that average 10+ points a game, so they can come at you from multiple angles. Boston is on a six-game winning streak and has gone 8-1 in their last nine matchups against Western Conference opponents. The biggest reason Boston is playing well is their defense, as they’ve held their opponents to 108 points or less in seven of their last 10 games. If Phoenix wants to pull off this upset, they’ll need to dig in defensively.

Phoenix Suns Regular Season Recap

As I said in the introduction, the Suns are having a disappointing season, but they can keep their playoff hopes alive with a win tonight. Phoenix is just 35-37, but they’ve gone 23-13 at home and have won five of their last six games overall and each of their last six home contests. The Suns are led by Kevin Durant (26.8 PPG) and Devin Booker (25.7 PPG), and while you can point to Bradley Beal as the third star (17.3 PPG), the 31-year-old has played in just 48 games this year and has missed each of the last four contests.

Phoenix is currently rolling, and they’re coming off back-to-back wins against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks, who are both contenders in the Eastern Conference. Like Boston, their defensive intensity has picked up in recent weeks, as they’re giving up just 107 PPG in their last five contests. Their only loss in the span came on the road against the Lakers, but they scored just 96 points in that contest. If Tatum can’t go tonight for Boston, it will be a big opportunity for the Suns to pick up a must-needed win.

Celtics vs Suns Predictions

Tonight’s matchup marks the first time these teams face off this season, but they’ll play again in Boston in just under two weeks. When they met last year, Boston picked up a 10-point and 15-point win, and even though Tatum will likely not play tonight, I’m not sure that Phoenix can capitalize on this opportunity. The Celtics are 5-1 in six instances where the Duke product hasn’t played this season, with their only loss coming against the Magic on the road 108-104. 

When Tatum hasn’t played this year, the entire Celtics roster seems to step up. However, one superstar with a big jump in his stats is Jaylen Brown. The SF averages 22.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists this season, but in the five games he’s played without Tatum, he’s put up 24.2 PPG, 8.0 REB and 6.8 AST. Therefore, I expect Brown will step up again and predict he will record 34+ Points + Rebounds + Assists in Phoenix tonight.

Our Pick: Jaylen Brown to Record 34+ Points + Rebounds + Assists