The Boston Celtics earned a dominant victory over the Phoenix Suns 132-102. This puts Boston on a seven-game winning streak and makes Phoenix’s play-in race more interesting. Kristaps Porzingis scored 30 points, and Jaylen Brown had 24. Kevin Durant had 30 points in the loss. The Celtics were without Jayson Tatum and Xavier Tillman. Bradley Beal was out for the Suns. The Boston Celtics improved to 54-19, while Phoenix dropped to 35-38.
The Boston Celtics’ Hot Start
With no Tatum, who sprained his ankle in their win over the Sacramento Kings, the Boston Celtics turned to Brown. He started the game hot by making back-to-back three-pointers. Brown then initiated a string of passes to find Porzingis for another Celtics three. Boston was not shy about shooting from deep in the first quarter. Their first seven baskets were all three-pointers. They finished with 10 in the quarter. This opening barrage gave them a lead, but the Suns responded with a 10-0 run. The Boston Celtics led the high-scoring quarter 42-38. Porzingis and Jrue Holiday each had 9 points. Durant led Phoenix with 16 points.
Porzingis remained effective in the second quarter. Since his return to the Boston Celtics lineup after an illness, he’s been extremely efficient, and that continued against the Suns. He continued to score from three and in the post, being a matchup nightmare. Brown also kept scoring, and the Celtics’ lead grew. A few more three-pointers put them up by double digits. The offense was humming, and they were moving the ball to find the best shot. The Phoenix defense provided little resistance, so despite a strong half from Durant, they faced a large deficit. At halftime, the Boston Celtics led 73-54.
Even though Tatum was out, the Boston Celtics’ offense ran like a well-oiled machine in the first half. Porzingis had 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting, going 3-of-4 from three. Brown followed with 16 points, shooting 5-of-9 and 3-of-6 from three. Every starter had a plus-minus in the double digits, and the team shot 43.8% from three. In the second quarter, the Suns couldn’t keep up. Despite a 20-point half from Durant, they could not stop Boston. They kept it close in the first quarter but fell behind in the second.
A Dominant Win
In the third quarter, the Boston Celtics stayed hot. They got highlight plays from Al Horford, who had a couple of dunks, and a mean throwdown from Brown to extend the lead. Brown followed his dunk with another three. Then, Porzingis proceeded to dominate again. He had 13 points in the third quarter on 4-of-6 shooting. The big man got to his spots in the post and drilled a deep three. This helped Boston push their lead past 30 points, making it nearly insurmountable to come back. The Suns did not have the personnel to defend him, and he made them pay for it. At the end of the third quarter, the Boston Celtics held a commanding 108-81 lead.
The Boston Celtics’ lead was so large that Porzingis and Brown sat out the entire fourth quarter. Things did not get any closer. Derrick White and Sam Hauser continued to knock down threes to maintain the large lead. Baylor Scheierman got some more run in garbage time and made a few highlights. He made a sidestep three after pump-faking a defender and even showed off a flashy Rajon Rondo pass fake for an assist. The Boston Celtics were having fun and cruised to a 132-102 win.
Final Thoughts
The Boston Celtics improved to 54-19 with the win. They’ve won seven games in a row and are 4-0 on their six-game road trip. Porzingis led with 30 points, shooting 10-of-15 and 4-of-5 from three. Brown had 24 points, shooting 7-of-15 and 4-of-9 from three. The Suns fell to 35-38 with the loss. Durant had 30 points on 11-of-16 shooting, but their biggest problem was the defense. They could not get stops, and it ended their four-game win streak in a tight play-in race.
