BSJ Game Report: Celtics 132, Suns 102 - Brown, Porzingis dominate as C's win seventh straight

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

IN A NUTSHELL

The Celtics started out blistering hot from 3 but the Suns matched them and the first quarter lead for Boston was 42-38. Jaylen Brown led a dominant second quarter and the lead grew as high as 25, but settled at 19 at halftime. It grew to 34 at one point in the third and it hung around there the rest of the way. 

Box Score

HEADLINES

- Rolling at the right time: Seven wins in a row, 12-1 in March, 15-3 since the All-Star break, 19-4 in February and March. 

Boy, that 18-12 December/January feels like a lifetime ago, doesn’t it?

- Brown’s knee seems okay: He was guarding Kevin Durant all night, he was getting to his spots, he dunked on someone … The questions about his knee have been answered.

“He's just a guy that whatever he has to do to put himself in the best chance to be at his best for us and to help us win, he does,” Joe Mazzulla said. “For a couple games, it was taking care of his knee, and now it's doing what he needs to do and I thought he was really efficient … his defense was great.”

- Porzingis the matchup problem: He punished the Suns for their lack of size. When the Suns switched, he took Devin Booker into the post and got whatever he wanted. He also was on fire from deep, leading to one of his most dominant performances of the season. 

TURNING POINT

The entire second quarter really serves as a turning point. It was 42-40 Celtics after Phoenix made the first bucket, but the Celtics outscored the Suns 31-14 after that. 

THINGS I LIKED

- Jaylen Brown: I cannot stress enough how hobbled Brown looked against Sacramento. He did not look like he was ready to play at all, which raised the question of how much he was really fighting through. I put a lot of emphasis on his performance today, and Brown answered the bell. 

- Kristaps Porzingis: He’s a problem for teams who can’t match up with two bigs. When he’s shooting the way he did in this game, teams have no chance. Add his rim protection to that mix and it you can see just how much of a problem he is. He finished with 30 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and two blocks. 

- Al Horford: I almost feel bad waiting this long to mention him, but man what a great game from him. Once again, Horford steps up to the challenge of facing an elite player. He finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks. 

“He takes ownership of every matchup and every opportunity that he has,” Mazzulla said. “He's one of our silent assassins from a leadership and a competitive standpoint. So when you get to watch him play against other greats, to me, it's a gift.”

Derrick White and Jrue Holiday: I love when I get to combine good games and see monster numbers from a starting backcourt when other stars are doing big things. They finished with 32 points on 11-21 shooting (6-15 3pt), 10 assists, and a steal. 

Sam Hauser: He didn’t do much, but 3-4 from 3 is always appreciated. 

- The passing: Assist numbers will naturally be high when a team makes half their shots, but Boston still finished with 33 of them on 45 makes, which is incredible. They are 19-1 this season when they dish 30 or more assists. 

- This play by Baylor Scheierman: 

He is feeling more and more comfortable out there. His confidence is clearly through the roof. I like where he’s headed on this team. I don’t think it’ll be in the playoffs, but he could earn a big role next season or the season after.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

Nah, I’m not going there in a 30-point win without Jayson Tatum. They gave up a few offensive rebounds early on but they cleaned that up after the first quarter. After giving up seven second-chance points in the first quarter, they allowed nine the rest of the way, so they cleaned it up nicely. Boston won or tied in every category in this game. They lost none of the margins. 

HIGHLIGHTS

TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- They did the right thing with Tatum.

Someone on Twitter said this first so I can’t take credit, but we got the videos of Tatum working out and looking fine during the day, and then they rested him for the game, which was perfect. Everyone got their sigh of relief and Tatum didn't try to push it. I wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment. 

Now can they get him to sit out Saturday’s game?

- Double-bigs killed Phoenix. 

The Suns had no answer for Porzingis because of the double-big lineup. Their lack of size really showed when Boston attacked their smaller players with Porzingis or Al Horford. The Celtics ran a ton of actions aimed at getting their bigs opportunities against smaller players. Porzingis led the team in scoring and Horford ended up with the highest offensive rating. 

Next up: The Celtics go to San Antonio for a Friday night game at 8 p.m.