The Boston Celtics lost for the first time in seven games on Monday night against the Chicago Bulls. Now, after two days off, they'll look to return to their winning ways against the Phoenix Suns.
That won't be an easy thing to do. That Suns (42-16) have the second-best record in the NBA and are just 1.5 games back of the Utah Jazz for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. They are 13-2 in their last 15 games and beat the C's earlier this season by a score of 100-91.
The Suns feature one of the best backcourt tandems in the NBA. Devin Booker has averaged 25.3 points per game this season along with 4.6 assists while Chris Paul is averaging 15.9 points and 8.8 assists per game. The team has seven total players that are averaging at least 9.3 points per game, making them a deep squad overall.
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Forsberg: Four stats that highlight Celtics' current conundrum
Two of those players are dealing with injury concerns, however. Jae Crowder (ankle) won't play against his former team while Dario Saric (ankle) is questionable for the game. Even if both don't play, the Suns are plenty deep enough to compete with the C's.
Speaking of the C's, they continue to be one of the most banged-up teams in the league. Robert Williams (knee) and Evan Fournier (health and safety protocols) are set to miss yet another game and now, Jaylen Brown will likely join them. Brown suffered a shoulder injury against the Bulls that has him listed as doubtful for this contest.
The good news is that Danny Ainge seems optimistic about these players returning soon, but that will provide the C's no solace in this tough matchup.
Boston Celtics
With Brown, Fournier, and Williams out, the C's will need to rely on Payton Pritchard and Jabari Parker to provide some scoring punch off the bench while Tristan Thompson will need to be able to contain DeAndre Ayton, especially on the boards. That could make this a tough one, but if Jayson Tatum can improve after a down shooting night on Monday, it should be a good battle.
Celtics vs. Suns: How to watch, TV channel and live stream
When: Thursday, April 22 at 7 p.m. ET
TV channel: NBC Sports Boston
Live stream: NBC Sports Boston or the MyTeams App
Be sure to tune into NBC Sports Boston at 6:30 p.m. for "Celtics Pregame Live" presented by TD Bank. We will have complete coverage after the final buzzer with "Celtics Postgame Live" presented by Your New England Ford Dealers. You can watch both shows on the MyTeams App or by clicking here.