Who’s playing
Phoenix Suns @ Boston Celtics
Current records: Phoenix 38-27, Boston 51-14
How to watch
- When: Thursday March 14, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. ET
- Or: TD Garden – Boston, Massachusetts
- TV: TNT
- Follow: CBS Sports app
- Ticket cost: $140.65
What there is to know
After five road games, the Celtics return home. They will face the Phoenix Suns on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Celtics have been dropping the ball more recently, as they have increased their point total in each of their last four games.
Last Tuesday, Boston beat the Jazz with points to spare, winning the game 123-107. The over/under has been set at 230 points, so good job for the punters; You were right on the money.
The Celtics’ victory was a true team effort, with many players putting in strong performances. Perhaps the best of them was Jayson Tatum, who scored 38 points and six rebounds. Tatum is on a roll when it comes to points, as he has now scored 26 or more in the last three games he has played.
Meanwhile, while it wasn’t a dominant performance, Phoenix beat the Cavaliers 117-111 on Monday. The victory was all the more spectacular because the Suns were down 19 points with 4:50 remaining in the second quarter.
The Suns’ victory was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Kevin Durant, who scored 37 points along with eight rebounds and six assists. Durant hasn’t dropped below 35 points in four straight games. Another player who made the difference was Devin Booker, who scored 27 points along with seven assists and six rebounds.
Boston has been on a roll lately: they’ve won 14 of their last 16 games, which is a nice improvement to their 51-14 record this season. As for Phoenix, their victory brought their record to 38-27.
Going forward, the Celtics are the favorites as experts expect them to win by six points. This contest will be their 28th straight as a favorite (so far in that stretch, they are 15-11-1 ATS).
Thursday’s game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: the Celtics simply can’t miss this season, shooting 48.6 percent per game. However, it’s not like the Suns (currently ranked fifth in field goal percentage) are struggling in that department as they’ve made 49.5 percent of their shots this season. Given these competing forces, it will be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Odds
Boston is a solid 6-point favorite against Phoenix, according to the latest NBA Odds.
The line drifted a bit toward the Celtics, as the game opened with the Celtics as 4.5-point favorites.
The over/under is 227.5 points.
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History of the series
Boston and Phoenix both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.
- March 9, 2024 – Boston 117 vs. Phoenix 107
- February 3, 2023 – Phoenix 106 vs. Boston 94
- December 7, 2022 – Boston 125 vs. Phoenix 98
- December 31, 2021 – Boston 123 vs. Phoenix 108
- December 10, 2021 – Phoenix 111 vs. Boston 90
- April 22, 2021 – Boston 99 vs. Phoenix 86
- February 7, 2021 – Phoenix 100 vs. Boston 91
- January 18, 2020 – Phoenix 123 vs. Boston 119
- November 18, 2019 – Boston 99 vs. Phoenix 85
- December 19, 2018 – Phoenix 111 vs. Boston 103
