The Boston Celtics have emerged from the All-Star break hot, winning both of their games heading into tonight’s matchup with the Phoenix Suns. The C’s will be playing without Jaylen Brown tonight, but both of Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks are also sidelined due to injury for Phoenix. With the stars on the bench, we’re looking for other players who can step up and deliver value in the prop bet market.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Boston is a 6.5-point road favorite with -205 odds to win on the Moneyline. The game total is set at just 205.5 combined points.
Here are the top Celtics vs. Suns prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook for this matchup.
Best Celtics vs. Suns player prop bets
Nikola Vucevic over 7.5 rebounds (-133)
The -133 value on this play isn’t anything impressive, but this has the makings of one of the night’s more reliable betting picks. Nikola Vucevic was traded to the Celtics during deadline season, and while he’s undoubtedly the most talented center on the roster, he’s not even starting. Instead, Neemias Queta and Luka Garza have started each of the five games Vucevic has been on the roster for. Weird, right? What makes this more interesting is that the former All-Star is actually playing more minutes on most nights than either of those other guys, seeing 25.2 MPG with Boston. He’s producing 11.8 PPG with that workload, down from his average of 16.9 with the Bulls, but remains engaged on the glass with 8.4 boards per night.
So, why do we still believe in Vucevic? He’s gone over tonight’s line of 7.5 rebounds in three of his five appearances for the Celtics so far. Beyond that, the Suns lack standout frontcourt talent with Mark Williams and Oso Ighodaro at center while Royce O’Neale and Ryan Dunn man the four spot. Phoenix is perfectly average on the glass at 15th in REB%, so as long as Vucevic plays his usual share of around 25 minutes, he could make a significant impact on the glass tonight.
Jalen Green over 20.5 points (-116)
It’s been a very difficult season for Jalen Green. First, he was traded to the Suns in the deal that sent Kevin Durant to Houston over the summer. Then, he suffered a hamstring injury that sidelined him for most of the campaign thus far, with another setback coming later on and pushing his return date back further. Now, he’s appeared in five of Phoenix’s last six contests and has already had a signature moment with a game-winning shot a few nights ago, though his play as a whole has been less-than stellar. Green is averaging just 13.3 PPG and shooting 38.2% from the field as well as 31.3% from three.
However, his minutes were restricted for some of his 10 total contests in orange and he saw a dose of 37 minutes on February 21, then played the second leg of the back-to-back afterward. Green is now on track to see ridiculous shot volume with both Booker and Brooks out, and he’s taken at least 16 shots in all three games since the All-Star period with 23+ shots in two of those. The Suns are still firmly in the postseason mix so they may not throw all caution to the wind, but they’re largely playing with house money in a season they weren’t expected to compete in. Green is the team’s most dynamic shot creator by far and posted two seasons of 21+ PPG through four years in Houston, so we know he’s capable of putting the ball in the basket. Even against a strong Boston defense, shot volume is in his favor tonight and means he can go over this points prop.
