The Phoenix Suns are coming off of a 108-104 win over the San Antonio Spurs, which means the team is right back in the win column after having its 18-game winning streak snapped by the Golden State Warriors. The Suns will now face the Boston Celtics in a Friday night clash at the Footprint Center.
Will Boston hang around in what should be a great game against Phoenix? Keep reading our Celtics vs. Suns NBA picks and predictions for December 10.
Celtics vs Suns odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
Phoenix was a 5-point favorite in this game when it first hit the market, but the line is now down to 4.5 in some places — despite most bettors rolling with the Suns. Meanwhile, the total is down from 215.5 to anywhere from 213.5 and 214.5 at the moment, with most people betting the Over.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Celtics vs Suns predictions
Predictions made on 12/10/2021 at 11:45 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Celtics vs Suns game info
• Location: Footprint Center, Phoenix, AZ
• Date: Friday, December 10, 2021
• Tip-off: 10:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN
Celtics vs Suns betting preview
Injuries
Celtics: Jaylen Brown F (Out), Jabari Parker F (Probable).
Suns: Devin Booker G (Out), Frank Kaminsky C (Out), Dario Saric F (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Under is 8-3-1 in Boston’s last 12 road games. Find more NBA betting trends for Celtics vs. Suns.
Celtics vs Suns picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Spread analysis
The Celtics aren’t exactly winning games at a high clip right now, but they have covered in four of their last six coming into this one. Meanwhile, the Suns have failed to cover in each of their last three contests, and they’re still adjusting to life without Devin Booker. What that ultimately will look like is Phoenix finding a way to hang around until the final minutes and then turning to Chris Paul to close opponents out.
With that in mind, it’s somewhat likely that the Celtics will be in this game until the final buzzer. For starters, Jayson Tatum will be the best scorer on the floor in this one. Sure, Mikal Bridges will be able to make him work extremely hard to put the ball in the hoop, but it’s always a good thing to have the most talented scorer on the court. With Booker out, there’s no denying that Tatum earns that title.
The Celtics also have a nice match for Deandre Ayton in the paint, where both Robert Williams III and Al Horford are capable of making sure that Boston isn’t dominated at the center position. The Celtics also have a good option to throw on Paul in this one, as they can have Marcus Smart handle that assignment. Smart is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, so he should be able to make Paul a little uncomfortable in this game.
The reality here is that this game is going to be a low-scoring one, so this is a rather big spread when taking that into consideration. The Suns should ultimately be able to pull out a win, but it wouldn’t be all that surprising if the Celtics were able to steal this one. And regardless, they should be able to keep it close.
Prediction: Celtics +5 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
The Suns currently have the second-best defensive rating in the entire league, while the Celtics are ninth in the league in that regard. These are two very good defensive teams, meaning points will be hard to come by in this one — especially with the Suns missing their best source of offense in Booker.
The Celtics are also just 20th in the league in pace this season, and the Suns are eighth in the league over the last three games. That’s somewhat significant when considering Phoenix is normally fourth in the NBA with Booker in the lineup. The Suns are beginning to slow things down without Booker, and they need to rely more on their defense to win games now. Booker is also one of the guys on Phoenix that really pushes the tempo, so you should expect this to be a half-court battle in his absence.
Overall, these teams haven’t given us much of a reason to expect a lot of points in this game. Both are defensive-minded groups that will be locked in on that end here.
Prediction: Under 214.5 (-110)
Best bet
It’s hard not to look at this game and just be drawn to the Under. Phoenix has gone Under the total in four of its last five games coming into this one, and that is not a coincidence with Booker dealing with his hamstring injury. As mentioned earlier, the Suns are going to continue winning games without their star, but they’re going to do so by relying even more on their elite play on the defensive end.
The Under is also 8-3-1 in Boston’s last 12 road games coming into this one, and it’s also 13-6 in Phoenix’s last 19 games following an against-the-spread loss. This just seems like the right play in this game, but you might want to grab it before it continues to go down.
Pick: Under 214.5 (-110)
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