Boston Celtics (51-14, first in the Eastern Conference) vs. Phoenix Suns (38-27, sixth in the Western Conference)
Thursday, 7:30 p.m. EDT in Boston
Bottom Line: A victory over Phoenix will give Boston the chance to extend its winning run to three games.
In home games, the Celtics have a 29-3 record. Boston is fourth in the NBA, allowing opponents to shoot only 44.9% while giving up just 109.6 points per game.
This season, the clubs square off for the second time. The Celtics defeated the Suns 117-107 on March 10 in their most recent meeting, with Jayson Tatum scoring 29 points and Kevin Durant scoring 45.
TOP PERFORMERS: Tatum leads the Celtics with an average of 27 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 4.9 assists. During the past ten games, Derrick White has averaged 12.9 points.
For the Suns, Durant is averaging 28.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists. Over the past ten games, Grayson Allen has made 3.5 3-pointers on average.
LAST TEN GAMES: Celtics: 8-2, shooting 50.4% from the floor and averaging 121.4 points, 46.0 rebounds, 27.9 assists, 7.0 steals, and 7.1 blocks a game. The average point total for their opponents is 104.4 per game.
Suns: 5-5, shooting 46.5% from the floor and averaging 113.6 points, 48.2 rebounds, 24.9 assists, 6.6 steals, and 6.0 blocks a game. The opponents’ average point total is 113.9.
INJURIES: Svi Mykhailiuk: daily (personal), Celtics Al Horford is out (toe), Jaylen Brown is out (back), and Kristaps Porzingis is out (hamstring).
Suns: Josh Okogie is day-to-day (hip), Eric Gordon is day-to-day (knee), Nassir Little is day-to-day (knee). Damion Lee is out.
