The Boston Celtics defeated the Suns 117-107 on Saturday night in Phoenix, averting their first three-game losing run of the year.

 

To cap off a terrible week, Kevin Durant, who went off for 45 points, tried his hardest to will his team to win and hand the visitors what would have been a devastating loss.

However, Jayson Tatum refused to sit on the bench during the second half, as the previous league MVP erupted for 25 points on 10/13 shooting.

With 13 points in the last quarter, the five-time All-Star finished with a team-high 29 points. In addition, he pulled down ten rebounds and provided seven assists.

On a night when he accomplished a significant feat, Jaylen Brown, the other half of the Celtics’ outstanding wing combination, scored 27 points. In the fourth quarter, he produced one of the most important plays as well.

Furthermore, despite the fact that the hosts’ attempt at a comeback was aided by Derrick White’s strategic pick-and-roll, the sixth-year veteran was outstanding in this game.

He scored ten points and dishevelled out a game-high nine assists, always obtaining the visitors’ buckets at the hoop. In addition, he had one of the season’s best blocks.

Al Horford finished with 12 rebounds and 9 points. In addition, he made a game-winning three-pointer on a crucial situation that Boston needs to play as often as possible.

In addition to his 15 points, Jrue Holiday had six assists and two steals. Despite Durant’s explosive second-quarter surge, which intensified after the break, the two-time All-Star made him earn his buckets and did a good job of keeping the majority of them inside the arc. In addition, the future Hall of Famer’s second-half options were limited to one free throw attempt.

It illustrates how successfully the Celtics guarded the perimeter. They do a great job of blocking drives and making shots difficult. The Suns’ three-point percentage (29%) was 9/31 in the end.

The way the game is played, a team on the other end of the court will be weakened by turnovers and bad shot selection. However, when Boston’s identity is around defence, it creates the conditions for its offensive success and lets the C’s play at their peak.

That was made simpler by Devin Booker’s absence due to a sprained right ankle, but Saturday’s victory depended on them swaying the maths to their advantage and reducing the damage the hosts did beyond the arc.

The second unit’s efforts were also excellent.

This season, Luke Kornet may have given his best effort yet. As Phoenix played up to touch on screens, the seven-foot-two centre was a force to be reckoned with in pick-and-roll situations.

500 career field goals were made by him, and he concluded with 14 points on 6/7 shooting, including a career-high five dunks. In addition, he had a block, three extended possessions, and six rebounds.

With ten points from Payton Pritchard, the visiting team’s second unit defeated the Suns 27–16. Beyond the score, Sam Hauser, Pritchard, and Kornet excelled defensively in their respective roles.

In addition, they had a 17–8 advantage in second-chance points and only 12 turnovers, despite coughing the ball up six times in the third quarter. Additionally, they compelled 15 turnovers, turning them into 16 points.

Boston played with a lead for the majority of the evening thanks in part to Phoenix’s meagre 16 free throw attempts, with both teams scoring 10 points from the charity stripe.

Let’s take a closer look at the key moments from the Celtics’ 117-107 victory over the Suns.

In the opening period of the Celtics-Suns game on Saturday night, most of the scoring occurred inside the arc. Despite numerous missed layups by both teams, the visitors scored 20 points while the hosts only managed 14.

Jaylen Brown made his 1,000th career triple, joining Paul Pierce (1,823) and Jayson Tatum (1,250) as the only three Celtics with at least 1,000 career three-pointers made as Boston shot 2/8 from three-point range.

With a sacroiliac strain, the three-time All-Star also seemed uncomfortable twice, winking during a transition dunk and squabbling with Jusuf Nurkic in the low post.

However, the native of Marietta, Georgia, played for about eight minutes in the first quarter and scored eight points, a team record.

He received a technical foul for the second straight game and the ninth time this season after the layup, as a result of his annoyance about the absence of a foul call there and on an earlier three when Bradley Beal hit him in the arm.

Another noteworthy aspect of the opening frame, albeit typical, was how well Derrick White managed the pick-and-roll. First, the former Colorado Buffalo scored an uncontested layup for himself. The screener’s opponent was forced to move when he exhibited the requisite patience, setting up a Luke Kornet slam.

With six points and four assists at the end of the first quarter, White played a strong defensive role in limiting Phoenix to 43.5 percent shooting, which included 1/6 (16.7 percent) from three-point range.

Tatum also scored back-to-back baskets for the visitors against Kevin Durant, including this extremely difficult shot from beyond the arc.

They do a great job of preventing drives from getting to the rim and out to defend the perimeter and contest jumpers. In the second quarter, the Suns managed just five three-point attempts.

Brown, on the other hand, scored 10 points in the quarter by making two three-pointers, getting two points at the cylinder, and banking in a turnaround jump shot in the low post. At the half, he led the team in scoring with eighteen points, being the only player to score in double figures in the second quarter.

Even though Kevin Durant started to fire from the midrange, scoring eight points in the 12 minutes leading up to halftime and twenty by the end, Phoenix found it challenging to keep up with the contributions from their second unit.

Kornet was a fantastic screen and roller, scoring eight points on four of five shots in the opening twenty-four minutes and grabbing four boards, two of which were offensive.

Sam Hauser also made a three-pointer, and he did a good job of defending the paint and making it difficult for opponents to make three-pointers against him.

The Celtics’ ability to win on the margins was crucial to their 62-50 lead at the half. They did this by outscoring the hosts 18-7 in the first half, building a 10-0 lead on second-chance points, only giving up three offensive rebounds, limiting the turnovers to three, and scoring 11 points off the Suns’ turnovers.

The visitors suffered from six turnovers and poor three-point shooting (4/12) in the third quarter. Most significantly, it contributed to a 9-0 Phoenix surge that reduced a 15-point lead to just three points.

Before the half, Durant continued where he left off, scoring 12 points on 5/6 shooting. Despite having players as skilled as Jrue Holiday positioned against him, the visitors were unable to disrupt the four-time scoring champion’s flow. Beal scored nine points for the hosts as well.

However, Tatum scored nine points, Kornet scored four and had a block in the third quarter, and Holiday added six points to help the Celtics lead 87-78 heading into the final 12 minutes.

With a couple baskets at the rim, including a classic three-point play by Tatum and a good challenge that forced a turnover from Phoenix, the visitors ended up winning 117-107 and avoiding their first losing run in three games this year.

The Boston Celtics and Portland Trail Blazers will square off on Monday night. The start of that game is set for 10:30 EST.