Inside The Celtics

Celtics' Identity Reinforced in Bounce Back Win vs. Suns

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 56 points, helping the Celtics overcome Kevin Durant's scoring 45 Saturday night in Phoenix.

Bobby Krivitsky

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
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On Saturday night in Phoenix, the Boston Celtics avoided their first three-game losing streak this season and registered a 117-107 win over the Suns.

Kevin Durant, who erupted for 45 points, did his best to will his team to victory and hand the visitors what would've been a disastrous loss to cap a concerning week.

But with the former league MVP erupting for 25 points on 10/13 shooting in the second half, Jayson Tatum refused to spend a second on the bench.

The five-time All-Star finished with a team-high 29 points, including 13 in the final frame. He also grabbed ten rebounds and dished out seven assists.

The other half of the Celtics' star wing tandem, Jaylen Brown, registered 27 points on a night where he achieved a milestone accomplishment. He also made one of the most significant plays in the fourth quarter.

And while getting away from Derrick White orchestrating the pick-and-roll played into the hosts' comeback bid, the sixth-year veteran shined in this matchup.

He distributed a game-high nine assists, consistently getting the visitors' buckets at the basket, and he scored ten. He also had one of the most impressive blocks of the season.

Al Horford provided nine points and 12 rebounds. He also drilled a game-sealing three on a prime example of how Boston must operate in crunch time for as long as possible.

Jrue Holiday contributed 15 points, six assists, and two steals. And even though Durant, who started percolating in the second quarter, caught fire after halftime, the two-time All-Star made him work for his baskets and did well containing most of them to inside the arc. Furthermore, the future Hall of Famer only had one free-throw attempt in the second half.

It reflects how well the Celtics did protecting the perimeter. They did an excellent job of challenging shots and keeping drives from reaching the rim. The Suns finished 9/31 (29 percent) from three-point range.

The game's connected: turnovers and poor shot selection will undermine a team at the other end of the floor. But when defense is at the forefront of Boston's identity, it sets the table for its success on offense and allows the C's to play at their best.

Devin Booker's absence due to a sprained right ankle made that easier, but manipulating the math in their favor, minimizing the damage the hosts inflicted from beyond the arc, was essential to Saturday's win.

So were the contributions from the second unit.

Luke Kornet had arguably his best performance this season. The seven-foot-two center was a force out of the pick-and-roll as Phoenix played up to touch on screens. 

He finished with 14 points on 6/7 shooting, including a career-high five dunks, and reached 500 career field goals. He also snagged six rebounds, with three extending possessions, and had a block.

Payton Pritchard provided ten points, helping the visitors' second unit outscore the Suns 27-16. Beyond the scoring, Kornet, Pritchard, and Sam Hauser starred in their roles defensively.

There were also wins on the margins that included a 17-8 edge in second-chance scoring, limiting the turnovers to 12, though they coughed the ball up six times in the third frame. They also forced 15 giveaways, parlaying them into 16 points. 

Phoenix's only attempting 16 free throws, with both sides manufacturing ten points at the stripe, also helped Boston play from ahead for most of the night.

Now for a deep dive into what stood out as the Celtics' 117-107 win over the Suns unfolded.

Most of the scoring in the first frame of Saturday night's Celtics-Suns matchup took place inside the arc. While there were multiple missed layups by both sides, the visitors produced 20 points in the paint, and the hosts manufactured 14.

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

According to Sean Grande, the Celtics' radio play-by-play broadcaster, that also puts Brown in impressive company that includes Jayson Tatum.

The three-time All-Star, who's dealing with a sacroiliac strain, also appeared in discomfort twice, grimacing after a transition dunk and battling with Jusuf Nurkic in the low post.

But the Marietta, Georgia native played nearly eight minutes in the opening frame and registered a team-high eight points in the first period.

After that layup, due to frustrations with the lack of a foul call there and on an earlier three when he got hit on the arm by Bradley Beal, he picked up a technical for the second straight game and the eighth time this season.

What also stood out in the first frame, though it's par for the course, was how effectively Derrick White orchestrated the pick-and-roll. The former Colorado Buffalo first got himself an uncontested layup. He then demonstrated the necessary patience to force the defender of the screener to step up, leading to a Luke Kornet dunk.

White finished the first quarter with six points and four assists, and he did an excellent job defensively, helping hold Phoenix to 43.5 percent shooting, including 1/6 (16.7 percent) from three-point range.

The visitors also got back-to-back buckets from Tatum over Kevin Durant, including this high degree of difficulty attempt from beyond the arc.

The two-time All-NBA First Team selection finished the first frame with seven points, helping the Celtics take a 31-26 edge into the second period.

They continued their impressive two-way display in the 12 minutes before halftime.

They did an excellent job of keeping drives from reaching the rim and getting out to contest shots and protect the perimeter. The Suns only got five three-point attempts in the second frame.

At the other end, Brown buried a pair of threes, got two points at the cylinder, and banked in a turnaround jump shot in the low post, scoring ten points in the period. He was the only player to reach double figures in the second quarter, entering intermission with a team-high 18.

And while Kevin Durant got cooking from the mid-range, generating eight points in the 12 minutes before the break and 20 by halftime, the visitors' contributions from their second unit made it difficult for Phoenix to keep up.

Kornet did a terrific job as a screen and roller, chipped in eight points on 4/5 shooting in the first 24 minutes, and grabbed four rebounds, including two at the offensive end.

Payton Pritchard produced seven points. That mostly came from attacking the rim, including hesitating before snapping a crossover dribble, rejecting a Kornet screen, and breaking to the basket for a layup.

And Sam Hauser knocked down a three, and he did well guarding the perimeter and making three-point tries against him difficult.

Between Boston's bench outscoring the hosts 18-7 in the first half, creating a 10-0 advantage on second-chance points, only surrendering three offensive rebounds, limiting the turnovers to three, and scoring 11 points off the Suns' giveaways, the Celtics' ability to win on the margins was crucial to them leading 62-50 at the break.

Six turnovers and poor shooting from beyond the arc (4/12) hurt the visitors in the third quarter. Most notably, it fed into a 9-0 Phoenix run, trimming what was once a 15-point deficit to three.

Durant, picking up where he left off before halftime, had 12 points on 5/6 shooting. Even with defenders as capable as Jrue Holiday draped on him, the visitors couldn't take the four-time scoring champion out of his rhythm. The hosts also got nine points from Beal.

But nine points from Tatum, four by Kornet, who also had a block in the third frame, and Holiday chipping in six, helped the Celtics take an 87-78 advantage into the final 12 minutes.

With Boston dialing up Chicago action, getting Brown the ball after coming off staggered pin downs, the second one a dribble hand-off, the visitors got two points on a lob to Kornet, as the 2022 All-NBA Second Team selection engaged Drew Eubanks before lofting an alley-oop to the seven-foot-two center.

Shortly after that, Tatum drilled a three over Bol Bol, extending the Celtics' lead to 101-86 with 9:19 remaining, matching their largest lead of the night to that point in the contest.

With under two minutes and Boston clinging to a 107-102 edge with momentum on the Suns' side, textbook execution out of a HORNS set resulted in Holiday getting the ball in the paint, drawing the corner defender, setting up an open three for Al Horford. That extended the lead to eight with 1:54 left.

A few buckets at the rim, including an old-school three-point play by Tatum and a successful challenge resulting in a Phoenix turnover, put the finishing touches on a well-fought 117-107 win as the visitors avoided their first three-game losing streak this season.

The Celtics are on to a Monday night matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers. That game will tip off at 10:30 EST.

Further Reading

'So Be It': Jayson Tatum's Focus Was Never MVP Case That's Likely Closed

Warriors' 'Disrespect' Only One Source of Fuel for Jaylen Brown Sunday

'The Best Team in the NBA': Luka Doncic Struck by Celtics' Balance

Jaylen Brown's Evolution Crucial to Celtics' Desire to Win with More Than Talent

Celtics Embracing Challenge to Go Beyond Most Talented

Jayson Tatum Opens Up About Sacrificing in Celtics' Title Pursuit: 'It's a Process'

Brad Stevens Discusses Celtics' Plan for Final Roster Spot

Marcus Smart Shares How Boston Shaped Him, His Message to Celtics Fans

Celtics Maturation Molded by Experience: 'It Builds, Like, an Armor'

Jaylen Brown Quieting Doubters, Validating What He Always Believed: 'Earn Everybody's Trust'

Joe Mazzulla Discusses Identity, Evolution of Celtics' Offense: 'Balance of Pace and Execution'

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Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

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