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Currently second in the Eastern Conference standings, the Boston Celtics look to bounce back after a rare home loss as they host the Phoenix Suns on Friday night. Boston (56-20) enters off a 124-103 home loss vs. Miami on Wednesday, while Phoenix (35-41) fell in Milwaukee on Tuesday, 133-123. The teams played last Wednesday, a 132-102 Celtics blowout road victory in Phoenix, as the Celtics have won three straight versus the Suns. Kevin Durant (ankle) is out for the Suns, while Jaylen Brown (knee) is questionable for the Celtics.

Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. ET from TD Garden in Boston, where the home team is 24-13 this season. The Celtics are 14-point favorites in the latest Celtics vs. Suns odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under is 226.5 points. Boston is at -962 on the money line (risk $962 to win $100), while Phoenix is at +628 (risk $100 to win $628). Before making any Suns vs. Celtics picks, make sure to check out the NBA predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters Week 24 of the 2024-25 NBA season on a sizzling 155-115 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning nearly $4,000. It’s also an outstanding 21-10 (68%) on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.

Now, the model has simulated Suns vs. Celtics 10,000 times and just revealed its coveted NBA picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and NBA betting lines for Celtics vs. Suns:

• Celtics vs. Suns spread: Boston -14 at Caesars Sportsbook
• Celtics vs. Suns over/under: 226.5 points
• Celtics vs. Suns money line: Boston -962, Phoenix +628
• Celtics vs. Suns picks: See picks at SportsLine
• Celtics vs. Suns streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)

Why the Suns can cover

The Suns sit one game outside of the Western Conference play-in tournament with six games to play. Without Durant (ankle), Phoenix has a seemingly impossible task ahead on Friday night with a trip to the defending NBA champions. The Suns have lost four straight games, which began last week with a 30-point home loss to the Celtics.

For the Suns to keep the game close, star guard Devin Booker must well exceed his 14-point performance from last Wednesday. His 39 points and 11 assists weren’t enough on Tuesday as Phoenix’s defense once again let the team down in Milwaukee. Booker’s career high in points came at TD Garden in March 2017, a 70-point performance that is still the franchise’s record. See which team to back at SportsLine.

Why the Celtics can cover

The Celtics sit in second place in the Eastern Conference, five games behind the Cavaliers. They are virtually locked into the No. 2 position and will face the winner of the Play-In Tournament. Boston looks to regroup after their nine game winning streak was broken by Miami on Wednesday night in a surprising home loss.

Superstar forward Jayson Tatum is averaging 27.0 points per game, 8.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists this season. Boston ranks eighth in the NBA in points per game (116.7) while surrendering the third fewest (107.9). With a chip on their shoulder after a poor performance earlier this week, the Celtics will look to get back on the winning track with a big victory on Friday night. See which team to back at SportsLine. 

How to make Suns vs. Celtics picks

SportsLine’s model has simulated Suns vs. Celtics 10,000 times and is leaning Over the total, projecting 233 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in almost 60% of simulations. You can head to SportsLine to see the model’s NBA picks. 

So who wins Suns vs. Celtics on Friday, and which side of the spread hits almost 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Suns vs. Celtics spread to back, all from the model that has returned well over $10,000 on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.

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