Final: Suns 106, Celtics 94 - Cold shooting, low effort

Game 53: Celtics (-10.5) vs. Phoenix Suns, 7:30 p.m., NBCS Boston/NBA TV

Injuries: 

Boston: OUT- Danilo Gallinari, Marcus Smart (ankle)

PHOENIX: OUT- Devin Booker (groin), Cam Johnson (knee), Cam Payne (foot), Landry Shamet (foot)

Suns probable starters: Chris Paul, Mikal Bridges, DeAndre Ayton, Torrey Craig, Dario Saric

Refs: John Goble (#10), Gediminas Petraitis (#50), Derrick Collins (#11)

Last time they played: Celtics 125, Suns 98, December 7 - The Celtics and Suns opened up going back and forth, looking like a true matchup between two of the best teams in the NBA. Chris Paul was slinging dimes and the Suns had a lead, but Boston went on on a 17-2 run, mostly after Paul sat down, and they never looked back. 

A little something about this game: Phoenix is coming in off a blowout loss to Atlanta. There was some hope for them that Devin Booker might come back from his nearly six week absence due to a groin strain, but he’s not quite ready yet. Chris Paul returned from injury and put up four-straight double/double points and assists games, but that streak ended a couple of games ago. He only scored 3 points and had 3 assists in the loss to Atlanta.

How the Celtics win: Run off Phoenix misses and force them to defend in transition. They're a middle of the pack team defensively in transition, so put that to the test here to start the game. Get them cross-matched, move the ball, and take advantage of the matchups.

Malcolm Brogdon can have a big game against a thin Suns bench. This could be a chance to run him a couple of extra minutes. I think the start of the second quarter could be a chance to pull away tonight. 

How the Suns win: It’ll take Ayton getting going in a big way and someone getting hot from 3. If Chris Paul can get an outlier performance from someone else, then Phoenix can steal one here. 

Things I’m looking for:

- Culture shock: The Suns are starting a five game road trip in Boston, so don’t discount the culture shock of walking around in single-digit weather and trying to warm up in a Garden that constantly feels like someone left a window open. It’ll be cold for everyone in here, but I’m just keeping an eye on the Phoenix players to see if they stay a little bundled up.

- Repeat performance: The Celtics handled their business against Brooklyn by playing the right way, attacking early, and using the penetration to fuel their 3-point makes. As a result, they all got to rest, so I’m looking at that lesson and whether it can be carried into this game against a shorthanded Suns team. If guys want to rest, the best way to do it is by busting their butts early on and then getting to it the whole fourth.

- Rob cleaning the glass: The Suns are in the bottom third of the league in opponent points per miss and putback opportunities generated. Robert Williams has been a monster on the offensive glass, so he could be a big driver in second chance points for Boston. Just like in the Nets game, he could be the key to cleaning up misses and scoring where the Celtics might otherwise have come up empty, thus building on leads and extending runs. 

Follow along below or in the comments during the game, chime in, and let’s have fun.