The Celtics are hosting the Suns on Monday. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Boston is favored by 8.5 points and this game carries a total of 213.5 points.
Let’s dive into my preview and pick.
Celtics vs. Suns Preview
The Celtics sit second in the Eastern Conference at 44-23, and they rank second in net rating this season, despite Jayson Tatum only playing in four games. The forward just made his season debut two weeks ago after tearing his Achilles last May. Boston is 3-1 with Tatum in the lineup thus far. Coming off the major injury, the six-time All-Star has been impressive, averaging 19.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.
Tatum was limited to 27 minutes in each of his first three games, but he got up to 32 minutes in Saturday’s win over the Wizards and he should see this type of workload moving forward, which is a scary sight for the rest of the league. It’s a limited sample, but Tatum leads the Celtics in plus/minus, and the team owns a terrific 13.4 net rating with him on the floor.
Tatum is only going to improve as he gets more games under his belt and adding the superstar to this already deep Celtics team has quickly moved Boston’s odds to win the championship. On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Celtics carry the second-best odds to win the title at +550, trailing only the defending champion Thunder.
Boston defeated the Suns 97-81 in Phoenix last month without Tatum, so the Celtics should be a very confident group tonight on their home floor. The Suns are also in a better position to succeed this time around, as Devin Booker is healthy again, after missing that first matchup between these clubs.
Dillon Brooks (hand) remains out, but Booker and Jalen Green have been putting up strong numbers in Brooks’ absence, averaging 26.5 and 21.1 PPG, respectively, since the All-Star break. Phoenix is coming off a road loss to the Raptors, but the Suns had won four in a row before this. Still, Phoenix only ranks 17th in net rating since the All-Star break, compared to the Celtics, who rank fifth.
With Derrick White at the helm, Boston is one of the best defenses in the league at slowing down opposing guards, so this is a tough matchup for the Suns considering how much they rely on Booker and Green. Another thing working against Phoenix is that this game is in Boston and the Suns have been vulnerable on the road this season with a 17-15 record.
Celtics vs. Suns Pick, Best Bet
With Tatum back in the picture, the Celtics are a true contender and the far superior club over the Suns.
Boston hasn’t been great at covering at home this season, with a 16-16 ATS record, but the Celtics deserve to be favored by more than 8.5 points and should cover this line.
