The most exciting game on Wednesday night will be in Phoenix where the Suns will host Boston Celtics. The Suns are the best team in the Western Conference with 16 wins and eight losses while the Celtics are the best team in the Eastern Conference with 20 wins and just five losses. In this game, I'm taking the Celtics.

Phoenix had a six-game win streak which ended with a loss to Houston. Yes, very random. In the last three games, Phoenix has a win against San Antonio and losses to Houston and Dallas. Phoenix couldn't do a thing against the red-hot Mavericks. It's a big question whether Chris Paul will play tonight as he has missed the last 14 games. Torrey Craig also is questionable and he has missed the last three games. The roster issue won't be a thing for Boston as Al Horford and Malcolm Brogdon will be back in the lineup. The Celtics have won seven out of the last eight games.

The Suns and Celtics are the two best teams in the league per advanced stats but let's look at the most recent performance and check the last six games. Phoenix has the 2nd-best offense (122.4) but only the 20th-best defense (115.2) with the 5th-best net rating (7.2). Boston is the best offensive team in the last six games (123.2), the 11th-best on defense (111.9) with the best net rating (111.9). The difference in the net rating is pretty significant especially if two of the best teams in the league are meeting.

It's also going to be a very interesting battle between two MVP candidates. During the absence of Paul, Devin Booker has taken the lead and demonstrated a monstrous performance. The biggest question is who's going to help him. Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges are the next two best options while Cameron Payen has been great as well. At the same time, I like Boston's depth better. Tatum and Jaylen Brown average at least 26 points per game while five others score at least nine points.

One more thing about defense. Phoenix is allowing 66.3% shooting inside of 10 feet on contested looks, which is the second-worst mark in the NBA. Tatum is taking 41.9% of his shots inside 10 feet, and he’s shooting a blistering 61.6% on those looks. Phoenix is struggling to defend inside and now has to deal with the reality that its rim protector DeAndre Ayton is experiencing some regression on defense. This is a game where the Celtics should bully the Suns down low and take the win.

本译文使用有道机器翻译，仅供参考：

周三晚上最激动人心的比赛将在菲尼克斯举行，太阳将主场迎战波士顿凯尔特人队。太阳以16胜8负的战绩成为西部最好的球队，而凯尔特人则以20胜5负的战绩成为东部最好的球队。在这场比赛中，我选择凯尔特人。

太阳队有六连胜，以输给火箭而告终。是的，非常随机。在过去的三场比赛中，太阳赢了马刺，输了火箭和小牛。太阳对火热的小牛队无能为力。克里斯·保罗今晚能否上场还是个大问题，因为他已经缺席了过去的14场比赛。克雷格也有问题，他已经缺席了最近三场比赛。阵容问题对波士顿来说不是问题，因为阿尔·霍福德和马尔科姆·布罗格登将回归阵容。凯尔特人在过去的8场比赛中赢了7场。

根据高级数据，太阳和凯尔特人是联盟中最好的两支球队，但让我们看看最近的表现和最近六场比赛。太阳拥有第二好的进攻(122.4)，但只有第20好的防守(115.2)和第五好的净效率(7.2)。波士顿在过去6场比赛中是进攻最好的球队(123.2场)，防守最好的球队(111.9场)，净效率最好的球队(111.9场)。净评分的差异是相当显著的，特别是当联盟中最好的两支球队相遇时。

两位MVP候选人之间的较量也将非常有趣。在保罗缺阵的时候，德文·布克发挥了领导作用，并表现出了惊人的表现。最大的问题是谁来帮助他。德安德鲁·艾顿和米卡尔·布里奇斯是接下来的两个最佳选择，卡梅隆·佩恩也很棒。同时，我更喜欢波士顿的深度。塔图姆和杰伦·布朗场均至少得到26分，其他5人至少得到9分。

关于防守还有一件事。太阳在10英尺以内有争议的投篮命中率为66.3%，这是NBA第二差的得分。塔图姆在10英尺以内的投篮命中率为41.9%，在这段距离内的投篮命中率高达61.6%。菲尼克斯正在努力防守内线，现在不得不面对他们的护筐人德安德鲁·艾顿在防守上的倒退。这是一场凯尔特人应该在低位压制太阳并取得胜利的比赛。