NBA picks: Suns vs. Celtics prediction, odds, over/under, spread, injury report for Thursday, March 14

Title contenders clash Thursday evening when the Phoenix Suns (38-27) meet the Boston Celtics (51-14) as part of TNT’s doubleheader. The Suns are coming off a win over the Cavaliers and have had a couple days off, while the Celtics have won three in a row. These teams met last Saturday, with Boston winning 117-107 despite a 45-point showing from Kevin Durant.

Eric Gordon is listed as questionable for the Suns. Jaylen Brown is questionable for the Celtics but is expected to play, while Kristaps Porzingis has been ruled out with a hamstring strain.

The Celtics are 6-point favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook with the total coming in at 227. Boston is -238 on the moneyline while Phoenix is +195.

Suns vs. Celtics, 7:30 p.m. ET

Pick ATS: Celtics -6

The Suns haven’t been able to take advantage when they have some time off. They are 6-9-1 ATS with a rest advantage and 5-8-1 ATS when they have 2-3 days off. The Celtics are 6-6-1 with a rest disadvantage but that shouldn’t matter much in this game. Boston is 29-3 at home this season and has covered 18 times. The spread has usually been closer to eight or nine points for Boston at home, so this is a relatively easier line to cover.

Even with Phoenix’s three stars back in the lineup and Porzingis sidelined, I’ll take the Celtics to sweep the season series with a convincing win at home.

Over/Under: Under 227

The Suns are 12-18 to the over as the road team and had 10 straight unders before hitting an over against the Cavaliers. The Celtics are 15-17 to the over as the home team this season. They’ve gone under their totals in three straight games, and five of their last six. The last matchup between these teams five days ago went under this line. I’ll take the under to hit once again.