BSJ Game Report: Celtics 117, Suns 107 - Tatum and Brown combine for 57 to avoid three-game skid

Everything you need to know about the Celtics win over the Suns, with BSJ insight and analysis.

IN A NUTSHELL

The Celtics, and Jaylen Brown, got to the rim but struggled to make layups early on. But a late run got them a five point lead after one. Brown got up to 18 points by halftime but big contributions from Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, and Luke Kornet got the lead to 12 at the break. Kevin Durant had a monster third quarter and Boston got sloppy and cold, but they only lost three points off the lead. Durant continued going off and the lead dropped to just three, but Boston made the plays they needed down the stretch to win by double digits. 

Box Score

HEADLINES 

- Better execution: Better doesn’t mean good, it just means better than we’ve seen on this road trip. Once again, Boston was in the midst of watching a big fourth-quarter lead dwindle away. But this time they made the plays that counted when it mattered most.

- A lot of contributors: Brown and Jayson Tatum combined for 56, but White and Holiday had massive impacts beyond their scoring, Kornet had a huge night, and Pritchard was efficient. Everyone had their moments in this game. 

- Winning the margins: Boston took and made more shots even though Phoenix shot a higher percentage. They took and made more 3-pointers. They grabbed more offensive rebounds and second-chance points. They forced more turnovers and scored more points off turnovers. They matched Phoenix at the free-throw line. That's almost always going to add up to a win.

TURNING POINT

Phoenix cut the lead to five with 3:55 to go (officially making this a “clutch” game by the NBA’s definition), but the Celtics went on a 10-5 run to close the game. That included an assist from Brown and a hockey-assist from Tatum. 

THINGS I LIKED

- The Jays giving the ball up: The one thing I hope the guys take out of this game is how good things happen when the ball moves down the stretch. I understand the concept of wanting to reduce the risk of turnovers in clutch situations, but you have to trust your guys as well. File it under “scared money don’t make money” … You have to take some risk to get the reward. 

- Sticking with it: Boston opened the game 3-7 at the rim, mostly because of Brown’s rough start around the rim. But they went 18-24 (75%) after that. I said before the game that attacking would pay off, and once they actually made the layups they were getting, it did. 

- The bench: Big time performance out of them after a real stinker against the Nuggets. Kornet especially had a big impact, with 14 points to punish the Suns’ pick-and-roll coverage. He also had three offensive rebounds, a blocked shot, and a few strong contests. Pritchard had some big shots and strong drives to the rim early. Hauser didn’t shoot well but he was strong on the defensive end. 

- Derrick White & Jrue Holiday: I often combine these guys in this section because they both have similar impacts where they feel like they were everywhere in this game. Both are elite defenders, both make the right play almost every time, and each can score in bunches when needed. They combined for 25 points, 15 assists, eight rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. 

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

- Jayson Tatum’s fourth-quarter turnovers: He threw two passes into the stands on consecutive possessions and Boston up 12 points. This is why I said the execution wasn’t always good. He played the entire second half, so I wonder if that played into it at all.

- Jaylen Brown’s late free throws: He was 4-7 from the line, continuing his struggles, but most importantly he missed two free throws with 3:20 on the clock. Boston had just come out of the timeout and needed points, and it looked like had gotten them. But he missed the two free throws after drawing a foul. I hope he gets those misses out of the way now. 

- Kevin Durant’s blistering hot shooting: The man couldn't miss for the third and most of the fourth quarters. He hit some ridiculous shots. 

HIGHLIGHTS

TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- Trust. Your. Teammates. 

I’m just going to quickly add to my earlier point about the Celtics moving the ball at the end of games. I hope that everyone understands that the odds of turnovers go up the more Tatum and Brown dribble the ball. 

If we put a supercut together of Boston’s biggest clutch failures, I’m pretty sure Tatum and Brown dribbling into double teams and turning the ball over would be heavily featured. 

I’m not saying take the ball out of their hands completely, but I am saying that letting your two primary guards handle the ball a bit and be involved isn’t going to suddenly make you a turnover machine. Quite the opposite, actually. 

Move the ball, even at the end when they're switching everything. Openings will materialize because Boston is too good. 

- Still haven't lost three in a row

We can say what we want, but good teams avoid prolonged stretches of losing. The Celtics have only two two-game losing streaks this season. 

They obviously have things to work on, but the best teams win while they're doing that. The Celtics are the 1st team in the East to reach 20 road wins. They're 20-11 on the road, which is pretty good. 

Next up: The Celtics head to Portland for a Monday night game and the front-end of a back-to-back