THE Phoenix Suns will try to postpone the visit Boston Celtics their third straight loss when the teams meet Saturday night.
Boston’s 11-game winning streak ended when the Celtics blew a 22-point fourth-quarter lead in a 105-104 loss at Cleveland on Tuesday. After that, the Celtics suffered a 115-109 loss in Denver on Thursday.
Jaylen Brown had 41 points and 14 rebounds against Denver, but finished 7 of 14 from the free throw line. Kristaps Porzingis added 24 points and 12 rebounds for Boston, but Jayson Tatum had a rare off night and finished with 15 points.
“It stings,” Porzingis said. “It hurts a lot, but I like the fact that there is a big margin that we can improve from this game. Of course, it’s not always going to go the way you want. You’re not always going to having perfect matches, but what I like is that there is room to improve, to play better.”
Tatum was 5 of 13 from the field in 39 minutes.
“We talk all the time about respecting each other’s space and understanding the flow of the game,” Tatum said. “It’s not my place to hijack the game because it’s a national game show and talk about myself. Other guys have done that.”
Tatum (ankle) is listed as probable for Saturday’s game. Brown (sacroiliac) is questionable.
The Suns hope to have guard Devin Booker in the lineup Saturday. Booker has missed three games since spraining his right ankle in a 118-109 loss to Houston on March 2, but was listed as questionable on Friday’s injury report. Booker is averaging 27.5 points, 6.8 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game this season.
Before his team’s 120-113 win over Toronto on Thursday, Phoenix coach Frank Vogel said Booker was making progress and was getting better every day.
“He definitely wants to come back as soon as possible,” Vogel said. “We understand the big picture and we’re going to bring him back when he’s ready.”
Kevin Durant scored 35 points in Thursday’s win over Toronto. Grayson Allen set a franchise record by hitting seven 3-pointers in the first quarter and finished with 26 points (eight 3-pointers), all in the first half. He also made eight 3-pointers in Tuesday’s 117-107 overtime win at Denver.
The Suns acquired Allen in a trade shortly before preseason training camp. After Thursday’s win, he led the NBA in 3-point percentage (47.5%).
“He knows his role in our system and he’s a great shooter,” Vogel said. “Everyone knew he was a good player when he came in, but he’s a great player. He’s playing phenomenal for us.”
Saturday’s game will be the first of two meetings between Boston and Phoenix during the regular season. The teams will also play Thursday in Boston.
“They’ve had an incredible year so far,” Durant said. “The best starting five in the league, by far.
“They have a great lineup with versatile guys up and down the lineup. They’ve been together for a while, so they understand each other. Adding Jrue (Holiday) was huge. Adding Kristaps was huge. We have our work cut out for us . for us. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
“I like where we are right now,” Durant said. “I think we can continue to grow. That’s the best thing: we still have room to grow as a team. We feel more and more comfortable as we go along. the day.”
–Field level media
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