Boston Celtics vs Phoenix Suns Prediction, 3/9/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Boston Celtics vs Phoenix Suns

Date: Saturday, March 9, 2024

Location: Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ

TV: AZ Family Sports Network

The Boston Celtics (48-14) are on their way to Footprint Center on Saturday where they will take on the Phoenix Suns (37-26).

The Celtics faced off with the Nuggets and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 115-109 in their last game. In the matter of personal fouls, the Celtics ended up finishing with 18 and the Nuggets accumulated 19 personal fouls. They converted 4 of their 21 attempts from distance. Denver ended up shooting 95.5% from the free throw line by burying 21 of their 22 shots. In addition, Denver pulled down 45 rebounds (8 offensive, 37 defensive) and got 3 rejections. Denver totaled 27 assists and had 10 steals in the matchup. In terms of defending, Boston allowed the other team to go 50.0% from the field on 45 out of 90 shooting. They also distributed 24 dimes for the matchup while forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and getting 6 steals. In terms of pulling down boards, they collected 47 with 13 of them being on the offensive end. From the charity stripe, the Celtics made 16 of their 25 shots for a rate of 64.0%. Boston walked away from the contest with a 45.1% FG percentage (41 out of 91) and made 11 out of their 38 shots from beyond the arc.

Jaylen Brown is a guy who was a factor in this matchup. Brown ended up shooting 55.2% from the floor and recorded 4 assists. He was on the court for 41 mins and collected 14 rebounds. He accounted for 41 points on 16 out of 29 shooting.

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Boston enters this matchup with a mark of 48-14 for the year. They have an average of 120.8 points per contest (4th in basketball) while hitting 48.5% from the field. The Celtics are hitting 38.5% on shots from downtown (1,008 of 2,619) and 81.0% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Boston is snagging 47.2 rebounds per contest and has totaled 1,633 dimes on the year, which is 17th in the league in terms of passing. They are turning it over 12.4 times per game and as a team they are committing 17.0 personal fouls per contest.

On the defensive end of the court, the Celtics have forced 11.7 turnovers per game while drawing 18.0 fouls. They concede 34.7% on shots from beyond the arc while they are 5th in the league in PPG from their opponents (109.9). The Celtics defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 44.8% (2,563 of 5,725) and they relinquish 43.6 rebounds per contest as a basketball team. They are currently ranked 5th in the league in giving up assists to the opposition with 1,544 surrendered on the season.

In their last game, the Suns got the win with a final of 120-113 when they faced the Raptors. In regard to rebounding, Phoenix allowed Toronto to pull down 36 overall (9 offensive). They went 36.4% from distance by shooting 16 out of 44 and finished the game at 11 out of 15 at the charity stripe (73.3%). The Suns allowed the Raptors to make 43 out of 94 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 45.7% for this game. When the final whistle blew, the Suns ended up shooting 44 out of 86 from the field which gave them a rate of 51.2%. In reference to shots from 3-point land, Phoenix made 15 of 35 tries (42.9%). They were able to knock down 17 of those for a percentage of 85.0%. The Raptors had 20 personal fouls in this contest which got the Suns to the charity stripe for a total of 20 attempts. They also turned the ball over 14 times, while earning 6 steals for this contest. The Suns were able to snag 39 defensive boards and 10 offensive rebounds totaling 49 for the game.

Kevin Durant ended up being a factor for the Suns for this game. He converted 11 of 19 in this matchup for a rate of 57.9%, and had 3 rebounds. Durant totaled 35 points in his 35 minutes on the hardwood and totaled 1 assist in this matchup.

Phoenix has a mark of 37-26 so far this year. When it comes to offense, the Suns are shooting 49.2% from the field, which ranks 5th in basketball. Phoenix has accounted for 7,380 points on the campaign (117.1 per contest) and they snag 44.1 boards per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 26.6 times per game (13th in the NBA) and they turn the ball over 14.9 times per contest. The Suns have committed 18.4 personal fouls every game and they hit 80.7% from the free throw line.

The Suns on the defensive side of the court are 16th in the NBA in points given up per game with 114.3. They are forcing 12.8 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 46.3% from the field (7th in the league). The Phoenix defense surrenders 36.4% on 3-point shots (830 of 2,283) and opponents are converting on 76.6% of their foul shots. They have given up 26.0 assists and 41.7 total boards per game, which has them ranked 10th and 4th in the league.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Phoenix

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