Jayson Tatum made Celtics history by refusing to sit on the bench in the second half of their victory against the Suns.
Jayson Tatum made Celtics history in Boston’s 117-107 win over the Phoenix Suns, scoring 29 points, ten rebounds, seven assists, and a steal, while also netting five of nine threes.
Tatum has become the most successful player in franchise history with at least 25 points in his eighth career game, according to Stat Muse. Despite initially struggling with shooting, Tatum managed to generate 22 points in the second half, despite Kevin Durant’s 25 points after intermission. He helped the Celtics defeat the Suns’ comeback bid, with Tatum knocking down 4/7 threes. The two-time All-NBA First Team selection’s performance was a testament to his talent and resilience.Former Duke Blue Devil, after a victory, felt like he was getting into a rhythm, but struggled with making shots and missing shots. As the game became more competitive, he wanted to stay in and told Joe, “I want to stay in the rest of the game.”
The Phoenix Suns lost to the Boston Celtics in a 117-107 final, largely due to a talent disparity between the two teams. The Celtics were strong in the margins and made strategic tactical choices to capitalize on Devin Booker’s injury. Boston led in points off turnovers (16-8) and second-chance points (17-8). Suns head coach Frank Vogel praised the Suns’ hard fighting and rebounding, but noted the need for better urgency against the team with the best record in the NBA. The Suns played a spirited game throughout the game.
Boston’s defense was crucial in preventing Phoenix from scoring a season-high 45 points with 10 rebounds, six assists, and six turnovers. However, the Celtics’ defense was not enough to prevent Phoenix from scoring. Boston wing Jaylen Brown defended Jusuf Nurkic, limiting his involvement in plays and switching it if necessary. Phoenix’s Royce O’Neale became the primary screener in most minutes, defended by Boston’s Al Horford.
Boston often planted expert defender Jrue Holiday on a center, shutting down Phoenix’s primary screening actions. The Suns played Bol Bol at the 4 in those looks, allowing Boston to deploy its big on him. Backup Suns center Drew Eubanks was -20 in 11 minutes.
Boston was betting on taking the punches from Beal and Durant outbursts well enough via its own consistency over the course of a full game. Phoenix cut the deficit down to five and three at points in the third quarter, but Boston quickly ballooned its advantage back into a safer place. The Celtics formed mini-rallies off either Celtics misses or turnovers, but Boston put the biscuit in the basket enough to not let that be sustainable.
The Celtics then had three more scoreless trips, but a missed 3-pointer in semi-transition on a decent look, another missed triple, and open Eric Gordon corner 3 that didn’t go down were Phoenix’s brief window. After Gordon’s miss, Horford drilled his own open corner 3 to put Boston back up eight with 1:54 left.
Durant said that the Celtics had a solid strategy over there, staying home a lot on 3-pointers and figuring out where their shot’s gonna come from if they just can’t catch-and-shoot.
