Alex Hunter breaks down his analysis, prediction and pick for Tuesday’s matchup between the Suns and the Celtics.
The Suns are hosting the Celtics on Tuesday. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Boston is favored by 6.5 points and this game carries a total of 206.5 points.
Let’s dive into my preview and pick for the game.
Suns vs. Celtics Preview
The Suns have been a pleasant surprise this season with a 33-25 record, but things all of the sudden have become very difficult for the club. Devin Booker continues to be out with a hip injury and Dillon Brooks is out indefinitely with a broken hand. These two easily lead Phoenix in scoring and with Booker and Brooks inactive collectively for the first time this season this past Sunday, the Suns lost a home game to the Trail Blazers, 92-77, who lost their best player, Deni Avdija, in the opening minute of the contest.
To make matters worse for tonight, Grayson Allen is questionable with a knee injury, who is averaging a career-high 17.3 PPG this season. Jalen Green is finally healthy again after dealing with a nagging hamstring injury for most of the season, but the guard has shot the ball at an ugly 35% clip since the All-Star break. Green is going to handle a huge usage rate tonight with both Booker and Brooks out, but his shooting struggles very well could continue vs. this Celtics team that ranks seventh in defensive rating and dead last in pace this season.
Even more so than the Suns, Boston has been a big surprise this season. Many believed the Celtics were going to have a down year with Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out, but they have done the complete opposite, sitting second in the Eastern Conference at 37-19 and ranking third in net rating. Jaylen Brown is playing at an MVP level as Boston’s centerpiece, averaging 29.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game, all of which are career highs.
Unfortunately, Brown is questionable to play tonight with a knee injury and the former NBA Finals MVP sitting makes sense with the Celtics in Denver tomorrow. Brown missed one leg of Boston’s last back-to-back set to begin this month and the Celtics likely believe they can beat the shorthanded Suns without Brown.
The wing should sit tonight and in that situation, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard will lead the way for Boston. Pritchard has been red-hot since moving back to the sixth man role for the Celtics, scoring at least 26 points in three straight and the guard should have another big performance tonight if Brown sits as expected.
Boston is 4-1 with Brown inactive this season and all of those victories have come by double-digits, so while his absence may seem like a big deal on paper, the Celtics will still be in a prime position to defeat Phoenix if Brown is ruled out. The last time he was inactive, Boston blew out the Rockets 114-93 on their home floor.
Suns vs. Celtics Pick, Best Bet
Even with Brown likely to sit, the Celtics should take care of business vs. the depleted Suns and cover this 6.5-point spread.
Boston is 19-10 ATS on the road this season – which is the second-best in the league – and the club is 4-1 ATS with Brown inactive.