Suns vs Celtics Odds and Picks

• The Phoenix Suns visit the Boston Celtics at 1pm ET on New Years Eve
• The Suns enter the game at 27-7 overall, while the Celtics come in at 16-19 on the year
• See below for the latest odds, analysis and the best bet

To kick off action in the NBA on New Years Eve, the Phoenix Suns and the Boston Celtics will square off in a inter-conference battle at 1pm ET at TD Garden in Boston.

Phoenix enters at 27-7 on the year and is 7-3 in its last 10 games, currently sitting atop the West with the Golden State Warriors. The Suns are coming off of a 115-97 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday in Phoenix.

Boston enters at 16-19 on the year and is just 3-7 over the last 10 contests, sitting in 10th place in the East. The Celtics most recently dropped a home game to the Los Angeles Clippers 91-82 on Wednesday.

Heading into the game, the Suns are listed as 3.5-point favorites over the Celtics.

Suns vs Celtics Odds

Odds as of Dec. 30th from FanDuel

Injury Report

Phoenix will be without a few key players in this game who are in health and safety protocols, including Deandre Ayton, Jae Crowder and JaVale McGee. Frank Kaminsky (knee) will also miss the game for the Suns.

For Boston, Jayson Tatum, Dennis Schroder, Aaron Nesmith, Enes Freedom and Bruno Fernando will all miss Friday’s game in health and safety protocols.

Phoenix Tries to Continue Success on the Road

The Suns have had success at both home and on the road this season, but are one of the top teams in the league away from home nearing the end of the 2021 year, holding an 11-3 record on the road going into New Years Eve.

Phoenix will try to not only remain atop the West Standings but try to continue that road success on Friday in Boston.

Phoenix, which has the third-best defensive rating in the NBA, will likely have to rely on its defense again in this game. In wins this season, the Suns are giving up 101.4 points to opponents while averaging 114.1 points on the offensive end. In losses, they are allowing opponents to score 116.1 points while averaging just 103 points on offense.

Devin Booker continues to do it all for Phoenix this season, leading the team with 23.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists a game. Ayton and Chris Paul have joined Booker to form a solid big three, with Ayton averaging 17 points and 11.1 rebounds and Paul adding 14.4 points, 9.8 assists, 4.1 rebounds and two steals per contest.

Boston Looking to Shed Losing Streak

The Celtics have struggled as of late, resulting in them falling down the Eastern Conference standings. Going into Friday, Boston is riding a three-game losing streak as they welcome in one of the top teams in the league.

The Celtics are a much different team in victory compared to defeat, oftentimes relying on defense to come away with a win. Boston is giving up 99.4 points per game in its 16 wins, averaging 111.9 points on the other end in those games. In losses, the Celtics are allowing 113.3 points to the opposition, tallying 103.9 on offense.

Individually, Tatum and Jaylen Brown have led Boston when they are both healthy and actually on the court. Tatum has averaged a team-high 25.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists, while Brown is averaging 23.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.2 steals a game for the Celtics. Boston will miss Tatum Friday due to health and safety protocols.

Suns vs Celtics Pick

Although this game will be taking place in Boston, an arena where the Celtics are 9-7 this season, Phoenix is just too dominant of a team and also plays well on the road. The mixture of the Suns stellar play of late and the Celtics struggles will likely result in Phoenix pulling away with its 12th road victory of the season.

For the best bet of the night, look at the spread of 3.5 points set going into this contest. The Suns will likely cruise to yet another win, their second straight, while winning by more than 3.5 points.

• The Pick: Phoenix -3.5 (-112)