BOSTON — The Celtics bounced back from an ugly loss on Wednesday night to cruise to a 123-103 win over the Phoenix Suns on Friday night at TD Garden.
The hosts had control of the game from nearly wire-to-wire against a undermanned Suns squad playing without Kevin Durant (sprained ankle). Jaylen Brown led the way with a team-high 31 points in just 28 minutes as he continues to deal with a minutes restriction. Five other Celtics also scored in double figures including Jayson Tatum (23 points) and Kristaps Porzingis (15 points) who left the game early in the fourth quarter after taking an elbow to the face that required stitches.
Devin Booker had a game-high 37 points in the setback for the Suns as Phoenix dropped two games out of a play-in tournament spot in the Western Conference.
The Celtics improved to 57-20 with the win and now have won 10 of their last 11 games overall. They will be back at the TD Garden on Sunday night to face off against old friend Marcus Smart and the Washington Wizards.
Here are four takeaways from the Celtics’ win on Friday night:
Celtics make history from beyond the arc: Joe Mazzulla has the Celtics looking to take more 3s than ever this season and the strategy has paid off with a trip to the record books. Boston broke the NBA record for most 3s in the season with their eighth 3-pointer of the night, hit by Payton Pritchard with 8:19 remaining in the second quarter. The 2022-23 Warriors previously held the record of 1,363 3-pointers made in a season and Boston will be sure to pad their record in the coming days with five regular season games remaining after Friday’s win. It’s one of several new marks set for the 2024-25 Celtics as Derrick White broke the franchise record for most 3-pointers made in a season earlier this week in Memphis.
Celtics starters get some rare run together: With plenty of injuries and rest days for members the Celtics usual starting five over the past two months, Boston’s regulars have only played 332 minutes together this season over 22 games, including just two games together over the last 15 contests. That group entered Friday’s game with a negative net rating on the year yet made some good progress on that front Friday, outscoring the Suns by 12 points in their two stints together at the start of the first and third quarter. There’s not much for Joe Mazzulla to be concerned about heading into the postseason but getting this starting group some additional positive starting reps together will remain a priority in the final week of the regular season.
Jaylen Brown is playing well despite knee pain: The All-Star forward continues to have his minutes limited while dealing with a bone bruise in his knee. Brown clearly doesn’t have a great burst right now but that’s not impact his offensive efficiency, particularly against an overmatched Suns defense Friday night. Brown shot above 50 percent from the field for the third straight game Friday night while also getting to the free throw line for a team-high nine attempts. He spoke confidently about the team’s plan for him to work through the pain after Wednesday’s win and the early results look promising.
The Suns are a disaster: Phoenix is playing for their playoff lives and the Celtics have nothing to play for but you never would have known it watching these two teams on Friday night. The Suns’ defensive effort was dismal all night as Boston contently got easy looks at the rim and beyond the arc. Meanwhile, outside of Devin Booker, there are no other reliable offensive creators on this team with Kevin Durant out and that includes Bradley Beal who missed his first seven shots of the night. A teardown this offseason appears likely in Phoenix and it will be a painful one for a team that has already emptied their draft cupboard for much of the next decade and are on their third coach in three seasons.
