Phoenix Suns (39-28) at Boston Celtics (44-23)
Monday, March 16, 2026
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #68, Home Game #33
TV: NBCSB, 3TV, NBA-LP
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, KMVP 98.7, Sirius XM
TD Garden
The Celtics continue their home stand as they host the Phoenix Suns. This is the 2nd and final game between these two teams this season. The Celtics won the first game 97-81 in Phoenix on February 24. The Celtics won the series 2-0 last season and have won 5 straight against the Suns.. The Celtics are 80-60
overall all time and 44-24 in games played in Boston.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 4 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are 1.5 games ahead of 3rd place New York, 3.5 games ahead of 4th place Cleveland, 5.5 games ahead of 5th place Orlando, 6 games ahead of 6th place Toronto and 6.5 games ahead of 7th place Miami. The Celtics are 15-9 against Western Conference opponents. They are 22-10 at home and 6-4 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a win in their last game. (The Knicks and 76ers are playing as I write this so that may change.)
The Suns are 7th in the West, 13.5 games behind 1st place OKC, 3.5 games behind the 3rd place Lakers, 2.5 games behind 4th place Houston, 1.5 games behind 5th place Denver, and 6th place Minnesota. They are 5 games ahead of the 8th place LA Clippers. They are 14-10 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 17-15 on the road and 6-4 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a loss in their last game.
After this game at home against Phoenix, the Celtics will close out their home stand against Golden State. Then they will play one game at Memphis before a 3 game home stand against Minnesota, Oklahoma City and Atlanta. Then it’s back on the road for a 4 game trip through Charlotte, Atlanta, Miami and Milwaukee. They will then play two games at home against Toronto and Charlotte before one game on the road at New York. They will finish the season with 2 games at home against New Orleans and Orlando.
The Suns are playing in the 4th game of a 6 game road trip. They will play at Minnesota and at San Antonio before returning home for a 4 game home stand against Milwaukee, Toronto, Denver and Utah. Then it’s a 4 game road trip through Memphis, Orlando, Charlotte and Chicago. Then it is 2 games at home against Houston and Dallas before ending the season on the road against the Lakers and OKC.
The Celtics have Nikola Vucevic on the injury report due to surgery to stabilize a fracture in his right ring finger. John Tonje is also iisted as out due to G-League assignment. For the Suns, Dillon Brooks is out as he recovers from a broken hand. Mark Williams is also out with a stress reaction in the third metatarsal of his left foot.
Probable Starting Matchups
PG: Derrick White vs Collin Gillespie
SG: Jaylen Brown vs Devin Booker
SF: Sam Hauser vs Jalen Green
PF: Jayson Tatum vs Royce O’Neale
C: Neemias Queta vs Oo Ighodaro
Celtics Reserves
Payton Pritchard
Hugo Gonzalez
Luka Garza
Amare Williams
Jordan Walsh
Baylor Scheierman
Max Shulga
Charles Bassey (10-Day)
2-Way Players
Ron Harper, Jr
Injuries/Out
Nikola Vucevic (finger) out
John Tonje (G-League) out
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Suns Reserves
Grayson Allen
Jamaree Bouyea
Amir Coffey
Ryan Dunn
Rasheer Fleming
Collin Gillespie
Jordan Goodwin
Haywood Highsmith
Khaman Maluach
2-Way Players
CJ Huntley
Koby Brea
Isaiah Livers
Injuries/Out
Dillon Brooks (hand) out
Mark Williams (foot) out
Head Coach
Jordan Ott
Key Matchups
Jaylen Brown vs Devin Booker
Booker is averaging 25.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 6 assists per game. He is shooting 45.2% from the field and 32.8% from beyond the arc. He missed the first game against the Celtics in February. Booker owns the record for most points scored by a player at the TD Garden when he scored 70 points there on March 24, 2017. He is their best player and the Celtics need to defend him well.
Sam Hauser vs Jalen Green
Green is averaging 17.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He is shooting 40.8% from the field and 30.9% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist while shooting 27.8% from the field and 12.5% from beyond the arc.
Honorable Mention
Payton Pritchard vs Grayson Allen
Allen gives them a boost off the bench and plays very well. He is averaging 17.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He is shooting 40.6% from the field and 35.4% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist while shooting 16.7% from the field and 11.1% from beyond the arc.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is always a key to winning. The Celtics have a defensive rating of 111.7 (5th) and the Suns have a defensive rating of 112.8 (9th). The Suns take 41 threes per game (5th) and make 14.9 threes per game (4th). The Suns are a good shooting team and the Celtics will need to up their defense, especially on the perimeter, if they want to beat the Suns.
Rebound – The Celtics need to rebound on the offensive end to give themselves extra possessions and to prevent the Suns from racking up fast break points. They also have to crash the boards on the defensive end to prevent the Suns from getting tip ins and second chance points as they average 16.1 second chance points per game. The Celtics are 4th with 46.4 rebounds per game while the Suns are 20th with 43.3 rebounds per game. Rebounding is all about effort and the Celtics are going to have to put out extra effort to win the battle of the boards.
Move the Ball Carefully – The Celtics need to move the ball in order to find the best shot on each possession. When the ball sticks and players try to do too much, the Celtics struggle. They are at their best when they pass the ball and keep it moving. ISO ball is not usually winning ball. The Celtics are 29-2 when they have at least 25 assists. They are 15-0 when they have at least 29 assists. They are also 18-1 when Jaylen Brown They need to keep the ball moving and find the open man. However, they need to be careful with their passes and ball handling since the Suns are 3rd with 20.5 points off turnovers per game.
Be Aggressive – The Celtics have to come out and be aggressive right from the opening tip. They have to be aggressive on defense, driving to the basket, rebounding, diving for loose balls and just playing harder in general. They need to get off to a strong start and play hard right up until the final buzzer. They can’t let the Suns outwork them for any period of time because even the best team in the league can lose to the worst if they don’t play with effort.
X-Factors
Home Game – The Celtics are at home where they should get a boost from the home crowd. They need to focus on the game and gain motivation from having the fans behind them. The Suns are playing in the 4th game of a 6 game road trip and should be dealing with distractions from travel, staying in a hotel, and playing in a hostile arena as well as fatigue from traveling. The Celtics need to protect home court and come out ready to play hard.
Officiating – I know that I say this every game, but the officiating always has the possibility to be an x-factor in every game and we have seen it in several recent games. Every crew calls the game differently, whether they call every little ticky tack foul or they let a lot of contact go and let the teams play. Some refs favor the home team and some call for both teams evenly. The Celtics have got to adjust to the way the game is being called and not allow the officiating to take away from their focus. They also need to play hard enough throughout the game so as not to allow the outcome to be determined by a call or non-call at the end.
