Jayson Tatum may not have been able to take the court, but on Wednesday night against the Phoenix Suns, the Boston Celtics proved themselves more than capable of taking care of business without their superstar forward. Despite a strong performance from Kevin Durant (30 points, 11-of-16 shooting), the Celtics had no problem dispatching their Western Conference foes on the road tonight, picking up a 132-102 win.
Surprisingly questionable to play in tonight’s matchup despite a bad-looking ankle roll suffered against the Sacramento Kings, Tatum was ultimately ruled out of tonight’s contest with a sprain. In his absence, Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis took care of business. Brown provided a spark as Boston’s top offensive option, scoring 24 points, while Porzingis led the team with 30 points on a hyper-efficient 10-of-15 shooting. Devin Booker was Phoenix’s second-leading scorer with 14 points (4-of-13 shooting).
Defense, to put it kindly, was optional in the first quarter of this game. The Celtics scorched the nets from the opening moments, connecting on a whopping 10 threes in the first 12 minutes. But somehow, despite their offensive cohesion, they struggled to build a significant advantage over the Suns. No small factor in that was Durant, who went nuclear in the opening quarter. He scored 16 points, putting on a vintage display in shot-making, and even with a 42-point start to the game, the Celtics entered the second quarter leading by just four, 42-38.
The Celtics continued to cook offensively in the second quarter, but Phoenix did not prove up to the task of keeping pace. The second quarter yielded “only” four Boston triples, but the reduced output in long-range shooting was easily counterbalanced by a reduced impact from Durant. After scoring 16 points in the first quarter, the Suns’ star forward recorded just four in the second, with his first points of the frame not coming until there were less than two minutes to play in the half. Phoenix managed just 16 points in total in the second quarter, and the Celtics entered the halftime break having broken the game open, leading 73-54.
With Tatum sidelined, it was Brown who stepped into the spotlight this evening. He was confident and assertive from the opening minutes and paced the Celtics in scoring throughout, and that trend continued as the second half began. Tasked with preventing the Suns from getting back into the game, Brown threw down a highlight-reel dunk and cashed in on a three (his fourth of the night) to keep the Celtics a step ahead.
Three-pointers helped tell the tale of tonight’s shellacking. The Celtics’ lead eclipsed the 30-point mark in the third quarter, and they did it behind a combination of efficient shooting (18-of-42 from deep through three) and Phoenix’s inability to hit a shot. Even after connecting on a few triples late in the third quarter, the Suns recorded an abysmal 9-of-32 mark on their three-point attempts. The disparity guided the Celtics to a commanding 108-81 lead entering the final quarter.
There was no drama to be found in the fourth quarter tonight. Derrick White, Jrue Holiday and Al Horford were the only Boston starters to take the court in the frame, and their stints were short-lived — plus, perhaps more tellingly, Durant did not see a single minute. The Celtics recorded their 30th road win of the season, while the Suns suffered yet another loss.
Next up, the Celtics’ will proceed onto their fifth of six consecutive road games, traveling to San Antonio for a matchup with the Spurs at 8 PM on NBA TV.
