Celtics vs. Suns Wednesday NBA injury report, odds: Chris Paul could return for potential NBA Finals preview

The marquee game on a busy NBA Wednesday is on ESPN at 10:30 p.m. ET as the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics visit the Western Conference-leading Phoenix Suns in a possible Finals preview. The Suns could welcome back star point guard Chris Paul from a heel injury. "We hope, we don't know yet," Coach Monty Williams said Tuesday of Paul, who is listed as questionable.  Phoenix is +1.5 at Caesars Sportsbook.

We might not see the Suns as home underdogs again during the regular season. The only time they have been prior to this game was on Nov. 16 when they were +2.5 vs. Golden State. Paul missed that one, but the Suns won 130-119 as they shot 21 of 40 (52.5%) from 3-point range and had 33 assists.

At Caesars, Boston is the +350 NBA championship favorite and Phoenix fourth at +950. The Celtics over the Suns in a Finals exacta is +2000 and Suns over Celtics is +2600.

Paul, averaging 9.5 points and 9.4 assists per game, hasn't played since Nov. 7 in Philadelphia. Phoenix is 9-5 without him, averaging 119.4 points per game. The team is 7-3 with Paul, averaging 112.4 PPG. Cameron Payne has played very well starting in his place.

The Suns do come off a bit of an ugly loss Monday, 130-111 in Dallas. Deandre Ayton scored 20 points for the Suns, who couldn't recover from a 15-point first quarter, their lowest total in any quarter this season. Devin Booker, who was averaging 39 points over the previous four games, scored 11 on 4-of-13 shooting.

Boston started the year 4-3 but has lost just twice since and is 2-0 on its current tough road trip with wins in Brooklyn on Sunday and Toronto on Monday. Al Horford and Malcolm Brogdon sat vs. the Raptors but likely only because it was the second half of a back-to-back. Brogdon is questionable tonight but Horford will play. Jayson Tatum is fourth in the league in scoring at 30.8 PPG and a +250 co-favorite to win his first MVP with Luka Doncic.

The teams split last season, each winning easily at home. Booker holds a career average of 27.6 career PPG against Boston, his third-highest average vs. any team in the league. Booker scored a Suns team and Celtics opponent record 70 points on March 24, 2017.

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