The Boston Celtics are sitting pretty at the top of the NBA with a 36-15 record and a two and a half game lead over the second place Milwaukee Bucks in the East.

After defeating the LA Lakers in dramatic fashion on Saturday night, Boston is benefiting from a well earned and deserved three days off before playing their first game of February against the Brooklyn Nets.

1. Brooklyn Nets

The Nets will be coming to Boston on Wednesday and will be without Kevin Durant, as he’s managing an MCL sprain. It’s worth mentioning the Nets are 5-6 since Durant’s been sidelined. 

Kyrie Irving set a Nets franchise record with scoring 30+ in six consecutive games. His streak ended on Sunday vs the Lakers when he scored 24 points in Brooklyn’s 121-104 win.

Both the Celtics and Nets have played the Lakers in their last game before playing each other on Wednesday.

2. Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns have way too much noise surrounding them on and off the court. Between Robert Sarver selling the team and Jae Crowder refusing to play for them this season, it’s fair to say there’s some internal distress that needs to be resolved. 

Phoenix is hovering around .500 ball this year with a 27-25 record and sights already set on next season. Not to mention, there’s reports suggesting Chris Paul is on the decline, hinting at Phoenix upgrading their point guard position in the very near future.

3. Detroit Pistons

The Celtics have a 2-0 record vs the Detroit Piston this season, however, each game has been a bit of a battle against a rising team in Detroit. However, they haven’t played each other since the 11th and 13th game of the season, which much has changed for Boston in the sense that they’ve figured things out. 

Detroit is a young team with great talent. Jaden Ivey is averaging 22.5 points per game vs Boston this season and is ranked as one of the top rookies this season.

Boston has struggled against the lesser teams this season, as we’ve seen vs Orlando, but I’m expecting them to go 3-0 in their next three games, with the only struggle being against Brooklyn on Wednesday.

Follow us on Twitter @CelticsFiles