THE Phoenix Suns had a chance to avenge a 117-107 loss to the Boston Celtics five days ago when they met again on Thursday. Devin Booker, who missed the said match due to an ankle injury, had been cleared to play. Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal would test the Celtics defense.
Durant and Jayson Tatum engaged in a mano-a-mano contest from the start. KD led the visitors with 15 points, while Tatum responded with 14. They continued what they started in their last meeting in Phoenix. Boston led 35-32 after the end of the first 12 minutes.
Durant fizzled in the second quarter for the Phoenix Suns, but backup center Bol Bol took over with 10 points. Bradley Beal and Devin Booker combined to finish the first half with 21 points, nine assists and four rebounds.
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Jaylen Brown took over when Tatum had a break. JB added 15 points in the second quarter. At the end of the period, JT once again got the upper hand on the visitors by finishing with a flurry of points. He scored three consecutive points against Kevin Durant, which brought Boston Celtics fans to their feet.
After another seesaw battle, Boston remained ahead 65-60 heading into the halftime break.
The Boston Celtics went on a 9-0 run starting 10 minutes into the third quarter to lead 77-65. Exquisite ball movement, defense and 3-point shooting allowed the Celtics to gain their biggest advantage in the game.
Kevin Durant continued to struggle for the Phoenix Suns, but Bradley Beal and Devin Booker hit some much-needed shots. Jusuf Nurkic was dominant on the boards, but the Suns’ second-chance points dried up in the third period.
Al Horford went 3-for-5 on 3-pointers in the third quarter to lead Boston. Jaylen Brown continued his steady production and added eight more points. Sam Hauser came to contribute to the Boston cause. The Celtics led 102-85 with the fourth quarter underway.
Player stats and box scores from the Phoenix Suns vs Boston Celtics game
Phoenix Suns Player Stats
Boston Celtics Player Stats
Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have 3 points tonight
The Phoenix Suns Big 3 went 2 of 8 from 3-point range in the first half tonight. Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal each had one, while Devin Booker missed all four of his attempts.
The Boston Celtics’ star duo combined to lose 6 of 10 from 3-point range during the same stretch. Three of Tatum’s four triples came late in the second quarter to push the Celtics into the lead.
