The Boston Celtics bounced back from their loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday with a 123-103 victory over the Phoenix Suns at TD Garden.
The Celtics launched early and often from 3-point range, hitting 14-of-39 (35.9%) attempts from beyond the arc as they led wire-to-wire and made NBA history in the process.
After hitting their eighth three-pointer of the night against the Suns, the Celtics broke the NBA record for most threes in a single season by a team. Payton Pritchard had the honors when he nailed a shot from beyond the arc with 8:19 left in the second quarter of Friday’s game. It was officially the 1,364th made by Boston this season.
Here are three studs and three duds from the Celtics setting the Suns:
STUDS
Jaylen Brown
Brown, as he is known to do, set the tone for the Celtics early by nailing a shot from the logo with 7:24 remaining in the first quarter. The Celtics star went on to score 31 points on 10-for-16 shooting. He also collected five rebounds and chipped in three assists, including a beautiful behind-the-back dish to Luke Kornet for a slam early in the fourth quarter.
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Kristaps Porzingis
Porzingis was having a solid night for the Celtics, recording 15 points in 23 minutes before he went down hard after taking an elbow to the face in the fourth quarter that required stitches. Porzingis saluted the TD Garden faithful with a smile as he made his way to the locker room with blood streaming down his face.
Payton Pritchard
There’s a reason why Pritchard is in the running for the NBA’s Sixth Man Award. He just does his job game in, game out. Pritchard not only scored the record-breaking basket, but he also tallied 10 total points on 4-for-5 shooting to go along with three assists off the bench.
DUDS
Bradley Beal
The Suns shooting guard was ice cold from the floor, collecting just one point in 30 minutes. It was a tough look for Beal, who went 0-for-7 from the field, including missing all three shots he took from downtown.
Suns Defense
The Suns had no answer for the Celtics in the paint, allowing Boston to score 52 points down low. Phoenix ranks in the bottom tier of the league in defensive rating, along with the Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans, and Utah Jazz.
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Sam Hauser
Not everyone on the Celtics has their shots fall with consistency in the win. Hauser scored just five points on 2-for-6 shooting, including making just one of five attempts from downtown. He did collect five defensive rebounds to keep the Suns from scoring second-chance points.
