The Celtics tied a season high for points in a first half with 67, but didn’t shoot as well in the second half. He scored 10 points in a second quarter that saw the Celtics score 41. Thomas entered the game with five minutes to go in the first quarter to cheers from the crowd. His layup with 40 seconds gave the Celtics a 107-100 lead. Thomas’ 3-pointer and free throw raised Boston’s lead to five. “It’s not perfect, don’t expect it to be but it felt pretty good,” Knight said of his home debut. Brandon Knight, acquired from Milwaukee in another Suns deal last Thursday, had 20 in his first start for his new team. “Unfortunately they made some big plays and we didn’t.”īledsoe had 21 points and 10 assists in the Suns’ eighth loss in the past nine games. They were getting a lot of the 50-50 balls but at the same time we still laid it on the line and came back,” Bledsoe said. But Phoenix cut the lead to one on a 3 from Eric Bledsoe with 2:33 remaining. When I get on the court, I don’t have any friends.”Īvery Bradley led the Celtics with 23 points and Boston made a season-high 14 3-pointers, 10 in the first half as they ran out to a 19-point lead against the struggling Suns. “It’s just me going out there and doing what it takes to win. My closest friends are on that team,” he added. “There’s no hard feelings between me and the Phoenix Suns. “It felt good to beat the team that traded you away,” Thomas said. His message was loud and clear after he glared at the Suns’ bench following his 3-pointer, then offered a smile after his layup. The Suns traded Thomas to Boston last week in a deadline-day deal. Thomas scored eight of his 21 points in the last 1:37 Monday night in the Boston Celtics’ 115-110 victory over the Phoenix Suns, delivering a critical four-point play, a steal and layup, and two free throws to defuse a rally. Tatum and Brown have been producing consistently as always but there’s been more support around them offensively through the last two wins, with Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White putting up some strong performances as well.īoston should already be in good shape as Tatum and Brown will likely take care of most of the scoring, but if the rest of the team keeps making shots, it could be a rout.PHOENIX - The stare and the smile said it all for Isaiah Thomas, who delightedly made his former team pay for trading him away just four days earlier. The Keys to Victory: CelticsĪfter a few low-scoring losses, the C’s bounced back with two high-scoring wins and look to be right back on track. Phoenix does own a top-five defense in the NBA, though, so if they’re able to limit Tatum and Brown, there’s a chance they can slug out a low-scoring win. Needless to say, they’ll need players like Bridges, Ayton and Cameron Johnson to all have solid nights if they’re going to keep up with the high-scoring Celtics. While the Suns have improved over the last couple of weeks, they’ve really missed Booker offensively, scoring just 107.7 points per game in January – five points less than their season average. It’s been the usual suspects for Boston with Brown and Tatum averaging 31.5 and 30.5 points, respectively, in those two contests. Kyrie Irving topped Brooklyn with 20 points.Īfter going through just their second three-game losing streak of the season last week, the Celtics bounced back with two strong offensive performances, averaging 132 points per game in those victories. Jayson Tatum led the way with 31 points while Jaylen Brown added 26 for Boston. The Celtics picked up their second straight win on Wednesday as they cruised to a 139-96 win over the Brooklyn Nets. It’s been a collective effort with six players averaging at least 10 points per game in January, though they clearly missed Booker’s star power as Bridges led the team with just 19.3 points per contest over that span. Mikal Bridges (23 points) and Deandre Ayton (20 points) were the top performers for Phoenix while Dejounte Murray (21 points) and Trae Young (20 points, 12 assists) led Atlanta to the win.ĭespite still missing Devin Booker, who’s been sidelined since Christmas with a groin injury, the Suns have managed to string together some victories, winning six of their last eight contests. The Suns dropped their last game as they were routed 132-100 by the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the UNDER is 4-1 in their last five meetings. Boston has won 11 of its last 16 contests against Phoenix with the Celtics also going 9-1 in their last 10 home games, giving the hosts a clear advantage in this matchup. The Celtics opened as the huge 10-point favorite at home with the total set at 229 points. The Boston Celtics (37-15 SU, 26-25-1 ATS) welcome the Phoenix Suns (27-26, 28-25) to TD Garden on Friday as the hosts look to earn their third straight win. Video Poker Guide: Play the Best Online Video Poker Games.
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