The Boston Celtics earned a 117-107 road victory against the Phoenix Suns last Saturday, but the Suns will have a much different look for the rematch Thursday in Boston.
Guard Devin Booker didn’t play in the loss to Boston because of an ankle injury, but he returned Monday and scored 27 points to help Phoenix beat host Cleveland 117-111. Booker added a team-high seven assists along with six rebounds.
Booker, who is averaging 27.5 points per game, injured his ankle March 2 against Houston when he stepped on teammate Royce O’Neale’s ankle while he was trying to guard Houston’s Fred VanVleet. The injury caused Booker to miss four games, and Phoenix went 2-2 during that stretch. The Suns are 32-19 this season when Booker plays.
Kevin Durant tossed in a game-high 37 points against Cleveland, 19 of which came in the third quarter. He scored 45 in the loss to Boston.
Boston has been dealing with injury issues as well. Jaylen Brown (sacroiliac strain), Al Horford (toe sprain) and Kristaps Porzingis (hamstring strain) all sat out Tuesday’s 123-107 win at Utah. Porzingis has missed the last three games.
Luke Kornet, Xavier Tillman and Oshae Brissett all received extra minutes against Utah. Boston was also without guard Jrue Holiday for Monday night’s 121-99 win at Portland.
Boston, an NBA-best 29-3 at home this season, will look to extend its winning streak to four after a 3-2 road trip. The Suns are 17-13 on the road.
