Phoenix Suns vs Boston Celtics Prediction, 4/22/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Phoenix Suns vs Boston Celtics

Date: Thursday, April 22, 2021

Location: TD Garden in Boston, MA

TV: NBC Sports Boston

Odds/Point Spread: Phoenix (+2.5)

The Phoenix Suns (41-16) go to TD Garden on Thursday where they'll take on the Boston Celtics (31-27). Phoenix opens this matchup as 2.5-point underdogs. The over/under is set at 225.

The Phoenix Suns faced the Milwaukee Bucks and notched a win by a score of 128-127 in their last contest. Phoenix ended the contest having earned a 48.1% FG percentage (51 of 106) and made 17 out of their 42 three-point shots. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Suns made 9 of 10 attempts for a rate of 90.0%. With regard to hauling in boards, they compiled a total of 45 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 28 assists in the matchup while forcing 11 turnovers and having 7 steals. Concerning defense, Phoenix allowed 48.0% from the field on 49 of 102 shooting. Milwaukee distributed 19 dimes and had 7 steals in this contest. Additionally, Milwaukee collected 51 rebounds (9 offensive, 42 defensive) and had 4 blocked shots. Milwaukee finished the game at 94.7% at the charity stripe by converting 18 of 19 tries. They also knocked down 11 out of their 34 tries from beyond the perimeter.

Devin Booker is a guy who played a role in the game. He ended up with 24 points on 9 out of 24 shooting. He saw the court for 43:52 mins played and also grabbed 7 boards. Booker finished the contest at 37.5% from the floor and dished out 7 dimes. Another guy that was a major contributor in this contest for the Suns was Chris Paul. He grabbed 7 rebounds in 38:01 minutes on the basketball court. He ended up going 50.0% from the field for the matchup by going 10-of-20 (22 points). When all was said and done, Paul had 13 assists.

Phoenix heads into this game with a win-loss mark of 41-16 on the season. They are losing possession via turnover 13.0 times per contest and as a group are committing 19.3 fouls per game. As a team, Phoenix is pulling down 43.6 boards per contest and has accounted for 1,550 dimes for the campaign, which has them ranked 3rd in basketball in terms of passing the ball. The Suns are shooting 37.8% on shots from beyond the arc (747 of 1,978) and 82.6% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 114.7 pts per game (7th in the NBA) on 48.9% from the field. Defensively, the Suns are forcing 13.5 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 18.1 personal fouls. The Suns are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 45.9% (770 of 1,029) and they relinquish 43.1 boards per contest as a basketball team. They rank 2nd in the league in allowing assists to their opponents with 1,264 conceded on the campaign. They are giving up 34.8% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are 5th in the league in PPG allowed (108.2).

In their last game, the Boston Celtics took a loss by a final score of 102-96 when they played the Chicago Bulls. The Celtics snagged 36 defensive boards and 3 offensive rebounds for a total of 39 in this matchup. They also coughed up the ball 15 times, while earning 8 steals for the matchup. The Bulls were called for 15 personal fouls for the contest which took the Celtics to the free throw line for a total of 15 shots. They were able to knock down 14 of them for a clip of 93.3%. With regard to shooting from beyond the arc, Boston made 10 out of 25 attempts (40.0%). Overall, the Celtics finished the game shooting 36 out of 77 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 46.8%. The Celtics allowed the Bulls to make 41 out of 90 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 45.6% for the matchup. They shot 34.4% from behind the 3-point line via 11 out of 32 and walked away from this one shooting 9 out of 10 at the charity stripe (90.0%). Regarding cleaning up the glass, Boston allowed Chicago to snag 40 in all (9 on the offensive glass).

Jaylen Brown pitched in for the Celtics for this game. He converted 10 of 15 in the game giving him a rate of 66.7%, and earned 4 rebounds. Brown scored 23 points in his 37:01 mins of playing time and tallied 1 assist for the matchup. Another guy who came through for Boston was Jayson Tatum. He ended up with 10 dimes in 37:00 mins on the hardwood, and he knocked down 3 of 17 from the floor. Tatum walked away from this one going 17.6% from the field while also earning 14 points and 13 total rebounds.

Boston has a win-loss record of 31-27 so far this season. Boston has totaled 6,519 pts this season (112.4 per contest) and they pull down 44.1 rebounds per game. The Celtics commit 20.4 personal fouls every game while shooting 77.3% from the free throw line. In terms of offensive execution, the Celtics are connecting on 47.0% from the field, which is ranked 11th in the league. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 23.4 times per game (23rd in basketball) and they turn it over 14.0 times per contest. The Celtics on defense are ranked 10th in the NBA in points given up per game with 110.4. They are forcing 14.2 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 46.3% from the floor (12th in the league). The Boston defense surrenders 37.1% on shots from behind the 3-point line (749 of 2,018) and their opponents are converting on 77.6% of their shots from the free throw line. They have surrendered 23.8 dimes and 42.1 boards per contest, which ranks them 7th and 6th in the league.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Phoenix (+2.5)

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