The Boston Celtics will try to bounce back from a rare loss as they host the Phoenix Suns at TD Garden on Friday night.
Boston should win this one, but the big spread has me nervous, and that’s why I’m taking Phoenix to cover in my Suns vs. Celtics predictions below.
Let’s dig deeper into this matchup in my free NBA picks for Friday, April 4.
Suns vs Celtics prediction
My best bet: Suns +14 (-110 at bet365)
My analysis
The Phoenix Suns need wins to sneak into the playoffs, but they’re unlikely to get one tonight. With Kevin Durant out of the lineup and playing in one of the toughest places in the league for road teams, a Phoenix win over the Boston Celtics would be a stunning upset.
But we’re not worried about whether the Suns can win tonight, but rather if they can cover. And when an NBA team is getting 14 points, I need a very good reason not to take that bounty and expect the underdog to cover.
The Celtics are coming off a 21-point home loss against the Miami Heat. I’m not expecting a repeat of that performance, but Boston hasn’t been good as a large favorite, especially down the stretch. It has gone just 1-5 against the spread in its last six games as a double-digit favorite and is 0-3 ATS in its last three home games when favored by that much.
Phoenix hasn’t played well as of late, losing four straight to loss all the ground it gained during a previous four-game winning streak. But the Suns are getting a bit of reinforcement tonight, as Bradley Beal will be back in the lineup. Beal doesn’t entirely make up for the loss of Durant — he’s never quite done enough to give Phoenix the “big three” it was hoping for with Durant and Devin Booker — but he’s an efficient shooter who will make sure that Booker isn’t handling the offensive production alone tonight.
In order to justify this spread, we’d need to think that Phoenix was among the worst teams in the league, or at least have fallen to that level without Durant in the lineup. And while I think this is a very mediocre Suns team that has little chance of winning tonight, there’s still enough talent on their roster that this game should resemble a typical NBA matchup for most of the night. I’m taking Phoenix and the points.
Suns vs Celtics same-game parlay
Suns +14.5
Over 226.5
Devin Booker 25+ points
30% boost available
I’ll take all the points I can get and bank on the Suns covering tonight as a start for my same-game parlay. I’m going to pair that with a bet on the Over as well. Phoenix has hit the Over in six of their last seven games overall, and Boston has also done so in three of the last four. These teams are both capable of running up the score, and we saw them play to a total of 234 points in their last meeting.
I have no problem picking any of a number of players to go Over their scoring totals tonight as well, but I’m tempted to stay away from Boston just because it has more options for who might take on the leading scoring role. On the other hand, I like Devin
Booker to take on the leading role for the Suns tonight, especially with Kevin Durant out of the lineup. I’m taking Booker to score at least 25 points in this game, something he’s done in his last two outings.
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Suns vs Celtics odds
Suns vs Celtics live odds
Suns vs Celtics opening odds
- Spread: Phoenix +15 | Boston -15
- Moneyline: Phoenix +728 | Boston -1100
- Over/Under: Over 228 | Under 228
Odds courtesy of bet365
Suns vs Celtics spread and Over/Under analysis
- Both teams have struggled against the spread this season, with the Celtics going 35-40-1 ATS and the Suns having a 29-46-1 ATS mark on the year.
- Boston won the first meeting between these teams this season, beating Phoenix 132-102 and covering as a five-point favorite.
- The Over has a 40-34-2 record in Suns games this season, while the Under has a 40-35-1 advantage when the Celtics have played this year.
- Phoenix is averaging a total of 231.0 ppg this season, with Boston playing to an average total of 224.6 ppg.
Suns vs Celtics trend
Boston is 1-5 ATS in its last six games as a favorite of at least 10 points. Find more NBA betting trends for Suns vs. Celtics.
How to watch Suns vs Celtics
| Location | TD Garden, Boston, MA |
| Date | Friday, 4-4-2025 |
| Tip-off | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | NBC SPORTS BOSTON, Arizona's Family 3TV / Arizona's Family Sports |
Suns vs Celtics latest injuries
Not intended for use in MA.
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