The Phoenix Suns’ season is hanging by a thread, but the Sacramento Kings keep losing to keep Phoenix alive in the Western Conference play-in race.
On Friday, the Suns hit the road – without Kevin Durant – and they are set as underdogs against the defending champion Boston Celtics.
The C’s are coming off a loss to Miami on Wednesday, but they don’t have much to play for in the rest of 2024-25 regular season since they’re essentially locked into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Can Phoenix snap a four-game skid to give its fans some hope that a play-in berth is on the table?
Let’s break down the odds, players to watch in the prop market and my prediction for this contest.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
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Moneyline
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Suns Injury Report
Celtics Injury Report
Phoenix Suns Best NBA Prop Bet
With Kevin Durant out, Devin Booker has stepped into an even bigger role than he already had, scoring 67 points while dishing out 14 assists in his last two games.
Booker’s assist prop is set at 6.5, but I think it’s way too low on Friday since he’s averaging 7.1 assists per game. Booker has cleared 6.5 dimes in seven of his last 10 games, averaging 8.9 dimes per game (and 16.4 potential assists) over that stretch.
Even against a good Boston defense, Booker’s usage should be huge with the Suns’ play-in tournament hopes hanging in the balance over the next few games.
Boston Celtics Best NBA Prop Bet
This season, Derrick White is averaging 16.4 points per game for Boston while shooting 43.9 percent from the field and 38.0 percent from beyond the arc. He’s scored at least 16 points in seven of his last 11 matchups, and he could be in line for a slightly bigger role if Jaylen Brown (questionable) sits out this game.
White had 16 points in his last matchup against the Suns, and Phoenix is one of the worst defenses in the league, ranking 27th in defensive rating over its last 10 games.
The Suns are just 2-12 when Durant is out of the lineup, and so many of those games have resulted in double-digit losses.
Phoenix has dropped eight of those 12 games by at least 10 points, and that’s going to be a major issue against Boston at TD Garden.
The C’s have the third-best net rating in the NBA over their last 10 games, and they already beat Phoenix by 30 points – in Phoenix – with Durant in the lineup.
Meanwhile, the Suns are just 20th in the league in net rating in their last 10 games, and have the third-worst record in the NBA as a road underdog, going 7-13 ATS.
Pick: Celtics -14 (-112 at DraftKings)
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.
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