Boston Celtics Pegged As Heavy Favorites To Prevail Over Undermanned Phoenix Suns

The Boston Celtics will attempt to go for their third win on Friday, February 3 when they face the Phoenix Suns at the TD Garden.

The C's hold the lead in their regular-season series opposite the Suns following their 125-98 win last December.

Boston is also coming off a 139-96 trashing of the Kevin Durant-less Brooklyn Nets.

The duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown led the way once more for the Celtics.

Tatum finished with 31 points, nine rebounds, and four assists, while Brown added 26 markers.

"They're hungry," Celtics coach Robert Williams said of Tatum and Brown. "They're still (upset) about last year."

Boston is second in the NBA in most team points scored with 118.2 per contest. They also own an offensive rating of 117, the third-best in the league right now.

Defensively, the 'Cs are eighth in the NBA, surrendering 112 points per outing.

Phoenix, on the other hand, is looking to bounce back after getting blown out by the Atlanta Hawks, 100-132.

Mikal Bridges led the way with 23 points, seven assists, and five rebounds. Deandre Ayton chipped in 20 markers of his own to go with nine boards.

"It felt like we were on a treadmill," Ayton stated. "It felt like we were hamsters running in one spot. The game was going too fast and we were making some points but not putting a dent into the lead."

The Suns are scoring 112.7 points per game and carry an offensive rating of 113.5.

The Phoenix Suns are also giving up 111.8 points per contest on defense.

The Celtics are -10 spread favorites to diffuse the Suns, who are at +10.

In addition, the moneyline for this clash is -625 for Boston and +360 for Phoenix.

The tip-off is set for 7:30 PM ET, and it will be telecast over NBA TV and the NBA League Pass.