The Boston Celtics (48-14) will try to get back on track when they face the Phoenix Suns (37-26) on Saturday night. Boston is coming off back-to-back road losses to Cleveland and Denver, but it is still 7.5 games ahead of the Cavaliers for first place in the Eastern Conference standings. Phoenix is riding a two-game winning streak, beating Denver in overtime on Tuesday before getting past Toronto on Thursday. The Suns are in sixth place in the Western Conference standings, sitting a half-game ahead of Sacramento for the final spot that avoids the play-in tournament.
Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at the Footprint Center. Boston is favored by 5.5 points in the latest Suns vs. Celtics odds, while the over/under is 226.5 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Celtics vs. Suns picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 20 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 64-40 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning more than $2,200. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Boston vs. Phoenix. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for the game:
- Suns vs. Celtics spread: Suns -5.5
- Suns vs. Celtics over/under: 226.5 points
- Suns vs. Celtics money line: Suns +179, Celtics -216
- Suns vs. Celtics picks: See picks here
Why the Suns can cover
Phoenix is two games removed from one of its most impressive wins of the season, as it went on the road and beat Denver as a 9-point underdog on Tuesday night. Kevin Durant poured in 35 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out five assists in the overtime victory. Shooting guard Grayson Allen added 28 points, knocking down 8 of 12 attempts from 3-point range.
The Suns were able to build on their momentum with a 120-113 win over Toronto on Thursday, powered by another 35-point performance from Durant. He shot 11 of 19 from the floor, while Allen had 26 points on 8 of 14 shooting from beyond the arc and set a franchise record with seven triples in the first quarter. Phoenix has covered the spread in 11 of its last 15 games against Boston, and the Suns are 6-1 in their last seven games against Eastern Conference opponents.
Why the Celtics can cover
Boston is coming off a pair of narrow road losses against the Cavaliers and Nuggets, but the Celtics had won their previous 11 games. They blew a 22-point lead in their loss to Cleveland, despite a double-double effort from Jayson Tatum. Small forward Jaylen Brown had 41 points and 14 rebounds in the loss to Denver, while center Kristaps Porzingis posted a double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds.
Phoenix has been playing without second-leading scorer Devin Booker, and he could be sidelined again on Saturday due to an ankle injury. The Suns have only covered the spread once in their last five games. Meanwhile, Boston is 6-2 against the spread in its last eight games, and it is 8-2 in its last 10 road games. See which team to pick here.
How to make Suns vs. Celtics picks
The model has simulated Celtics vs. Suns 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Suns vs. Celtics, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Celtics vs. Suns spread you need to jump on, all from the model on a 64-40 roll on top-rated NBA picks this season, and find out.
