Landale finished with nine points off the bench as did Ish Wainright, who not only hit a trio of 3s, but played solid defense on Tatum, who scored 20, but took 15 shots and only made three that were all from 3. Then Saben Lee tracked down a loose ball, went to the rim and smashed one with two hands that led to Boston calling a timeout and ignited the team to the point Deandre Ayton met him near midcourt. He followed that with an assist to Landale for the dunk and one. Saben Lee played a huge role in that run as well as his found Damion Lee for a 3 to open the quarter. Up one to start the fourth, Lee cashed in from deep to begin a 14-2 run that put Phoenix ahead, 88-75, with 9:15 left in the game.ĭario Saric ended the run with a 3 off Lee’s assist. Williams has been critical of the bench play as of late, but he got plenty of production from that group Friday night.ĭamion Lee scored 11 points, hitting 3-of-4 from 3. Even Paul admitted it took him until the fourth to involve Bridges, but better late than never. The offense seemed to run through Paul for most of the game. If he misses and Boston scores as it did on the other end, Phoenix is down one going into the fourth with the Celtics having all the momentum. With Boston cutting that 20-point Phoenix lead down to one, Bridges hit a tough jumper with a minute left to make the difference three. Bridges clutch againīridges scored eight of his 25 in the fourth, but his biggest basket came late in third. He had a total of 10 points the last two games on 3-of-16 shooting (2-of-9 on 3s).Ĭameron Payne (right foot sprain) will be re-evaluated for a third time next week as he and Landry Shamet (right foot soreness) remain out. Suns coach Monty Williams said before the game he can’t see Booker playing Saturday based on the workouts and conditioning of the All-Star guard.Īs for Johnson, the plan was to sit him Friday night under injury management. Injury updateīefore getting into the game details, a little injury housekeeping. Here are five takeaways as the Suns are at Detroit (14-39) for the second of a back-to-back Saturday. The Celtics were without their leader, Marcus Smart (right ankle sprain). Jaylen Brown scored a game-high 27 to lead Boston (37-16) while fellow All-Star Jayson Tatum added 20 on just 3-of-15 shooting. Short-handed, but looking for payback and coming off a 32-point home embarrassment Wednesday against Atlanta, Phoenix (28-26) responded with a huge victory to begin a five-game road trip as Mikal Bridges came up clutch in the fourth, the Suns received quality bench play and limited Boston to 38.7% shooting from the field.īridges paced Phoenix a team-high 25 points as five Suns reached double figures. Boston led by as many as 45 in that obliteration. They also lost by 27 to the Celtics the last time they played Dec. The Suns were once again without Devin Booker (groin), Cameron Payne (foot) and Landry Shamet (foot) while Cam Johnson took the night off under right knee injury management. So really, it’s just exciting because it’s a different group, it’s a different team to play with.View Gallery: Photos: Phoenix Suns at Boston CelticsīOSTON - Phoenix kept answering the bell.Īfter seeing their 20-point lead shrivel down to one late in the third, the Suns made huge baskets and key defensive stops in Friday night’s 106-94 win over the NBA-leading Celtics before a sellout crowd of 19,156 at TD Garden. Dwight Powell, he’s more like a crash course dummy that’s just gonna run in there and smack the ball out to halfcourt every two seconds. Like Tim can score, Josh Green, guys like that who are like, aggressive downhill and can make plays at the rim and rebound. I think a difference between guys we have in Dallas versus guys we had in Boston, we have a bunch of guys around that are like, utility, they can do it all. “So I’m excited for the spacing, being able to knock down shots around him, but also being able to crash and create more opportunities. Luka does a pretty good job of seeing the floor from the start, he definitely has that competitive like, ‘I can get the shot off anytime, but I’ll make sure the other guys get a good look if it’s open.’ Kyrie’s been in the league long enough that he knows how to make a tough shot but also knows how to get off the ball. So I think that’s the next stage with him and this group that we have. And I think that’s his growth and his next step, understanding that as much as that happens he also has to empower others to play their games as well. So I’m excited just because he brings so much pressure and attention to himself, and he does a good job of getting others involved. Very end of the shot clock, he’ll hit you with a pass that’s a dime and gives you an open look. Williams: “With Luka he does a great job of, no matter when you feel like you’re open he’s gonna find you.
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