Inside The Celtics

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Loss vs. Suns: Ice-Cold Shooting Has Boston Playing from Behind Nearly All Night

From a lack of energy to the root causes of Boston's ice-cold shooting, a deep dive into the Celtics' 106-94 loss to the Suns.

Bobby Krivitsky

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
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In the Celtics' 106-94 loss to the Suns, the hosts led only once, as Boston's ice-cold shooting matched the frigid temperatures outside TD Garden.

The Celtics shot 38.7 percent from the field, including 10/38 (28.3 percent) from beyond the arc.

They had numerous opportunities to tie or take the lead but couldn't come through.

Jayson Tatum, who finished with 20 points, did not make a field goal inside the arc, scoring only at the three-point line and on foul shots.

Jaylen Brown led all participants with 27 points and three steals, pairing it with eight rebounds and four assists.

But with Phoenix's second unit outscoring Boston's 36-19, the visitors converting 15 Celtics turnovers into 16 points, and claiming 14-9 and 11-5 advantages in fast-break and second-chance scoring, respectively, the hosts' had too much to overcome on Friday.

Their lack of energy, coupled with poor shooting and not enough inside-out basketball, often working the ball around the perimeter as opposed to getting into the paint to create higher-quality, in-rhythm looks, undermined a good showing defensively.

Now, a deep dive into what stood out in each quarter of the Celtics' 106-94 loss to the Suns.

Celtics Struggle to Find Their Rhythm Offensively, but End First Frame on a High Note

As the Celtics slowly eased their way into the game, including passing up some of the high-quality looks they were quick to take during their hot start against the Nets, the Suns frequently converted stops into points.

Phoenix ripped off a 12-0 run, building an 8-2 advantage in points in the paint in the process, taking a 12-7 lead on a Mikal Bridges turnaround jumper on a second-chance opportunity.

Bridges and Deandre Ayton went 4/8 in the opening frame, leading the visitors with eight points. The latter made a living at the rim, including feasting on a mismatch against Derrick White at the basket on multiple occasions.

Jaylen Brown paced Boston, who started the game ice cold, shooting 4/17 (23.5 percent) from the field, including 2/10 from beyond the arc. Even with Brown leading all scorers with 12 points in the first quarter, converting on four of his eight attempts, including 2/5 threes, the hosts shot under 35 percent from the floor and went 2/12 on threes.

The Celtics ended the period on a high note, though, as Brown picked off a Saben Lee pass, turning it into a one-handed flush, and Malcolm Brogdon provided a boost off the bench, engineering a 6-2 run to close the quarter.

That burst by Brogdon cut Boston's deficit to 24-20 entering the second frame.

Suns Build Double-Digit Lead, but Celtics Raise Their Game Defensively in Second Half of Second Quarter

For most of the second quarter, the Celtics' struggles to find their rhythm offensively continued.

There wasn't enough of the inside-out basketball, paint touches, and advantages off Robert Williams screens that sparked Boston's lights-out shooting against Brooklyn two nights ago.

The hosts were 11/33 from the field, including 3/16 from long range more than midway through the second period.

Joe Mazzulla brought Robert Williams back into the game with 5:55 left, putting the starting five back on the floor to end the first half. While it didn't take effect immediately, that unit produced more energy than the Celtics had played with to any point before.

Boston's starters won those minutes 15-12, as what had been a quiet TD Garden crowd became more vocal, especially during an 11-0 run that helped trim the deficit to nine.

But when Jayson Tatum picked up a technical for expressing his displeasure with an Al Horford offensive foul, it served as a springboard for a 4-0 burst by the Suns, extending their advantage to 57-44 at halftime.

On a night where the Celtics are shooting 37.5 percent from the field in the first 24 minutes, including 6/21 (28.6 percent) from beyond the arc, they need to do a better job taking care of the ball in the second half.

The hosts have seen eight turnovers translate to 12 points for Phoenix. That's also helped the visitors gain a 22-13 advantage in second-unit scoring. Ish Wainright and Jock Landale each have six points.

Even with Chris Paul scoring all 11 of his first-half points in the second frame, with Bridges and Ayton going scoreless in that time, that bench production was paramount to building and regaining a double-digit lead.

Despite having only two points in 8:12 of playing time in the second quarter, Brown led Boston with 14 points at halftime.

Brogdon provided ten points, and Tatum had six on 2/9 shooting.

But the caliber of defense and energy the hosts played with to end the first half is an encouraging way to enter the locker room. No lead is safe in today's NBA, and with the Suns missing Devin Booker, if the Celtics keep that up, they'll be able to erase this deficit.

Third Quarter Boston's Best

The Celtics, who usually get off to slow starts in the third quarter, played with the same energy it demonstrated at the end of the first half to begin the second.

Boston staged a 10-3 run to start the third frame. The hosts continued stifling the Suns' offense, yielding only two field goals in the first 5:56 of the period.

The Celtics' on-ball pressure, challenging drives, and shot contesting stood out as they made it difficult for Phoenix to create quality looks.

Those stops also were at the root of a 10-2 run, including Tatum drilling a three and a Brown second-chance layup two possessions later, besting Bridges, then bursting to the rim before Ayton or Dario Saric could stop him. The latter closed the gap to 62-59 with seven minutes left in the quarter.

About four minutes later, still stymieing the Suns, Boston followed up a Luke Kornet hook shot by forcing an eight-second violation, getting the ball back down two, 70-68.

The ensuing possession ended in a missed three by Tatum, but the hosts ended the quarter outscoring Phoenix 5-2 in the final 2:02, trimming the deficit to 74-73 entering the final frame.

While it didn't count, after that bucket by Williams, Wainright casually swished a full-court toss on one leg.

Fourth Quarter Tells the Same Story as Previous Three for Ice Cold Celtics

The beginning of the fourth quarter saw Phoenix offset the headway the Celtics made in the previous period, registering the first eight points of the fourth quarter, including quality ball movement, keeping Boston in rotation, which eventually led to an open three for Damion Lee.

And when Saben Lee converted a steal into a thunderous throwdown, it extended the visitors' advantage to 82-73 with 10:28 remaining.

That prompted Mazzulla to take a timeout, keeping with tonight's trend of utilizing them before runs by the opposition get out of hand.

And while the Celtics still struggled from beyond the arc, attacking the basket, made easier by stops and steals, resulted in a 6-0 run, including Tatum finding Robert Williams for a dunk that narrowed the gap to 88-81 with 7:22 to play.

During that stretch, the Timelord also turned a Wainright layup attempt into a souvenir.

but on a play exemplifying the hosts shooting woes, even after a fantastic stop by Derrick White, using verticality to legally impede Bridges from getting a dunk, an effort that resulted the latter missing a transition layup, Brown had a clean look from beyond the arc at the other end, only to see it go in and out.

When Horford missed an open three, and a press that lacked pressure turned into Paul finding Ayton at the free-throw line, and the latter doing well to turnaround to spot an open Saric on the right wing, it resulted in a long-range swish that extended the Suns' lead to 99-90 with 1:38 on the game clock.

That shot was the dagger.

Less than a minute later, Boston emptied its bench as Phoenix closed out its 106-94 win on the TD Garden parquet.

Up Next

The Celtics travel to the Motor City to face the Pistons on Monday. The game tips off at 7:00 pm EST. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game coming out before, during, and afterward. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.

Further Reading

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Celtics Officially to be Shorthanded Once Again When They Take on Suns on Friday Night

1:1 with Paul Pierce on What the Celtics-Lakers Rivalry Means to Him; Jayson Tatum's Growth, His Evaluation of Boston's Season, and More

A Potential Buyout Target and the Celtics are Reportedly Showing Mutual Interest

Celtics Reportedly Interested in Reunion with Kelly Olynyk

These Four Teams Reportedly Have Interest in Trading Celtics Guard Payton Pritchard

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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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