Celtics blow past Suns, Thunder up
BOSTON—Jaylen Brown scored 37 points as the Celtics unleashed a dominant offensive performance to blow past the Phoenix Suns, 127-112, on Thursday.
Boston’s big three of Brown, Jayson Tatum and Al Horford combined for 87 points in a dazzling performance against a Suns team looking to avenge last Saturday’s 117-107 home defeat to the Celtics in Arizona.
Tatum finished with 26 points while Horford weighed in with 24 to secure a victory that puts Boston closer to securing the NBA Eastern Conference’s top seeding in the postseason.
The Celtics rained down a barrage of three-pointers on the Suns, converting 25-of-50 attempts from outside the arc. The Suns, by contrast, shot 11-of-31 from three-point range.Devin Booker led the Suns with 23 points, with Bradley Beal making 22 and Kevin Durant and Grayson Allen finishing with 20 apiece.Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla saluted Brown’s display.
“I think he’s really taken the point of emphasis to being a well-rounded player,” Mazzulla said. “Everything with him starts with his defensive intensity. Getting off to a great start defensively gets him going and that’s big for our team.“And he can score on anybody at any time. He’s playing really well-rounded basketball on both ends. It’s fun to watch.” —AFP
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