Suns Fall to Celtics Behind Second Half Beatdown

The Suns faltered in the second half to the Celtics.

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns (38-28) fell to the Boston Celtics (52-14) on Thursday night in Boston by a score of 127-112.

Phoenix returned Devin Booker to the lineup for this rematch - Booker missed the game last Saturday due to an ankle injury, while Boston was still missing big man Kristaps Porzingis.

The Suns got off to a quick start, though Boston responded with a torrent finish to the first quarter, taking a 35-32 lead into the second frame. 

Phoenix pulled ahead for parts of the second quarter, but Boston pulled ahead by a score of 65-60 going into the tunnel - with worthy contributions from stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown across the first 24 minutes of action.

Boston established a firm grip on the game in the third quarter, outscoring Phoenix by 12 and taking an 102-85 advantage going into the final 12 minutes.

The final 12 minutes was fairly even, but the separation Boston created in the third quarter was enough to secure a comfortable victory, with Suns coach Frank Vogel waving the white flag with under three minutes remaining (Suns F David Roddy had an impressive showing in the final stretch of the game) before the final buzzer sounded. 

Boston shot a clean 50% from three-point land while the Suns out-rebounded the Celtics 51-33.

Key Performances 

Kevin Durant - 20 PTS, 3 REB, 1 BLK

Devin Booker - 23 PTS, 7 AST

Bol Bol - 10 PTS, 4 REB, 1 STL

Jayson Tatum - 26 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST

Jaylen Brown - 37 PTS, 5 REB, 3 STL

What's Next

The Suns play the Charlotte Hornets tomorrow evening in Charlotte.