Jayson Tatum and the Celtics have lost back-to-back games for only the second time this season.
Get ready for a star-studded clash with Kevin Durant and the Suns hosting Jayson Tatum and the Celtics (8:30 a.m. ET, ABC). Here are three things to watch out for tonight.
1. The Celtics try to avoid a first three-game losing streak
Boston took first place in the Eastern Conference ahead of Philadelphia on November 15 and never looked back, building the best record in the NBA by a wide margin. The Celtics enter this weekend with a 7 1/2 game lead over the Bucks in the East and a 4 1/2 game lead over the West-leading Wolves.
In addition to racking up wins, the Celtics managed to avoid back-to-back losses. After losing two straight in November, they responded with six straight wins. Four months later, they face the same situation for only the second time this season after starting a five-game road trip with back-to-back close losses to Cleveland And Denver.
En route to their league-best 48-14 record, the Celtics established one of the best point differentials in league history (+11.1 per 100 possessions) and became the first team to win three wins by more than 50 points in a season. Their last two losses came in close games featuring clutch time. Boston is 18-10 in deciding games this season.
2. The Suns are trying to hold on to a guaranteed playoff spot
The Suns enter Saturday a half-game ahead of the Kings for sixth place in the West while trailing New Orleans by a full game. Phoenix is in a crowded race and walks the proverbial tightrope between a guaranteed playoff spot (top 6) and the SoFi Play-In Tournament (arrival 7-10).
As they attempt to fend off the Kings (half game back), Mavs (2 games back), Lakers (3 games back) and Warriors (3 1/2 games back), they are in shorthanded as the second-highest scorer. (27.5 ppg) and primary point guard (6.8 ppg) Devin Booker is sidelined with a sprained ankle.
The Suns are 2-1 since Booker’s injury, including a road victory against the defending champion Nuggets in overtime after blowing a 22-point lead in the second half. Can the Suns beat another elite Celtics team at home while waiting for Booker to return – what initial timelines (7-10 days) would allow him to return next week?
3. History of the Tatum-Durant match
As a rookie, Jayson Tatum told us the story of his first meeting with Kevin Durant in high school.
“I went to KD Skills Academy during my sophomore year. He was there, obviously, and they gave us the opportunity to play pickup with him and some of his friends. I just remember being so excited, like ‘Wow, it’s KD, we can play him.’
“For some reason I thought he was going to be nice and take it easy, but he was playing hard,” Tatum said. “He was dunk on us and blocking our shot, and it kind of made me realize that when you’re on the floor, there’s no friends here. No matter how young we were, when he walked on the ground, he came after us.
“And that’s something I’ll always remember…It’s basketball when we step on the court,” Tatum said.
Tonight will be the ninth regular season matchup between Tatum and Durant, with the head-to-head series tied at 4-4. The two met in consecutive years in the first round of the playoffs, with Durant’s Brooklyn Nets bouncing Tatum’s Celtics 4-1 in 2021, only for Tatum and the Celtics to sweep KD and the Nets the following year. This gives Tatum a 5-4 advantage in playoff matchups.
Can Tatum match his 5-4 playoff advantage in regular season games? Or will KD go 9-9 overall between the two MVP candidates? Tatum ranks fourth, while Durant ranks ninth. Michael C. Wright’s Latest Kia MVP Ladder.
