Game ID: 22300955
Phoenix Suns @ Boston Celtics
Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET
TD Garden, Boston, MA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
BOS 35 30 37 25 127PHX 32 28 25 27 112
BOS vs PHX ScoutingBOS vs PHX Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
BOS availability going into 3/07 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 6 since 2/22, out tonight
BACK Tillman back 3/01 after 2, 16 min since (134% of 12)
BOS availability going into 3/09 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 7 since 2/22, out tonight
OUT Brissett missed 2 since 3/05, out tonight
BACK Tillman back 3/01 after 2, 15 min since (126% of 12)
BOS availability going into 3/11 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 8 since 2/22, returns tonight: 2 min (17% of 11)
OUT Brissett missed 3 since 3/05, returns tonight: 19 min (183% of 10)
BACK Tillman back 3/01 after 2, 15 min since (126% of 12)
BOS availability going into 3/12 · back-to-backOUT Porziņģis missed 2 since 3/09, out tonight
OUT Tillman missed 2 since 3/09, returns tonight: 26 min (215% of 12)
BACK Queta back 3/11 after 8, 2 min since (17% of 11)
BACK Brissett back 3/11 after 3, 19 min since (183% of 10)
BOS availability going into 3/14 · 1 day's restOUT Porziņģis missed 3 since 3/09, out tonight
BACK Tillman back 3/12 after 2, 26 min since (215% of 12)
BACK Queta back 3/11 after 8, 2 min since (17% of 11)
BACK Brissett back 3/11 after 3, 18 min since (171% of 10)
NEW Kornet 15 to 21 min over the last 4
BOS availability going into 3/17 · 2 days' restOUT Porziņģis missed 4 since 3/09, out tonight
OUT Queta missed 2 since 3/12, returns tonight: 8 min (75% of 11)
BACK Tillman back 3/12 after 2, 22 min since (180% of 12)
BACK Brissett back 3/11 after 3, 13 min since (124% of 10)
NEW Kornet 15 to 20 min over the last 4
BOS availability going into 3/18 · back-to-backOUT Porziņģis missed 5 since 3/09, returns tonight: 22 min (74% of 29)
BACK Tillman back 3/12 after 2, 20 min since (160% of 12)
BACK Queta back 3/11 after 8, 5 min since (46% of 11)
BACK Brissett back 3/11 after 3, 17 min since (162% of 10)
NEW Hauser 21 to 26 min over the last 5
NEW Kornet 15 to 20 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 3/20 · 1 day's restBACK Porziņģis back 3/18 after 5, 22 min since (74% of 29)
BACK Tillman back 3/12 after 2, 19 min since (156% of 12)
BACK Queta back 3/11 after 8, 5 min since (46% of 11)
BACK Brissett back 3/11 after 3, 17 min since (165% of 10)
NEW Pritchard 22 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Hauser 21 to 28 min over the last 4
NEW Kornet 15 to 22 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 3/22 · 1 day's restOUT Holiday missed 2 since 3/18, out tonight
OUT Hauser missed 2 since 3/18, returns tonight: 24 min (116% of 21)
OUT Queta missed 2 since 3/18, returns tonight: 3 min (25% of 11)
BACK Porziņģis back 3/18 after 5, 25 min since (85% of 29)
BACK Tillman back 3/12 after 2, 18 min since (148% of 12)
NEW Pritchard 22 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Brissett 10 to 17 min over the last 4
PHX availability going into 3/05 · 1 day's restBACK Beal back 3/02 after 5, 27 min since (80% of 34)
BACK Gordon back 3/03 after 3, 30 min since (109% of 28)
NEW O'Neale 25 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Bol 11 to 19 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 3/07 · 1 day's restOUT Booker missed 2 since 3/03, out tonight
OUT Okogie missed 2 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK Beal back 3/02 after 5, 30 min since (89% of 34)
BACK Gordon back 3/03 after 3, 26 min since (93% of 28)
NEW O'Neale 25 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Bol 11 to 16 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 3/09 · 1 day's restOUT Booker missed 3 since 3/03, out tonight
OUT Okogie missed 3 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK Beal back 3/02 after 5, 31 min since (92% of 34)
BACK Gordon back 3/03 after 3, 25 min since (89% of 28)
NEW O'Neale 25 to 34 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 3/11 · 1 day's restOUT Booker missed 4 since 3/03, returns tonight: 38 min (105% of 36)
OUT Okogie missed 4 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK Beal back 3/02 after 5, 32 min since (96% of 34)
BACK Gordon back 3/03 after 3, 26 min since (93% of 28)
NEW O'Neale 25 to 34 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 3/14 · 2 days' restOUT Okogie missed 5 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK Booker back 3/11 after 4, 38 min since (105% of 36)
BACK Gordon back 3/03 after 3, 26 min since (93% of 28)
NEW O'Neale 25 to 34 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 3/15 · back-to-backOUT Gordon missed 2 since 3/11, returns tonight: 26 min (92% of 28)
OUT Okogie missed 6 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK Booker back 3/11 after 4, 38 min since (105% of 36)
NEW O'Neale 25 to 33 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 3/17 · 1 day's restOUT Okogie missed 7 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK Booker back 3/11 after 4, 37 min since (103% of 36)
BACK Gordon back 3/15 after 2, 26 min since (92% of 28)
PHX availability going into 3/20 · 2 days' restOUT Okogie missed 8 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK Booker back 3/11 after 4, 38 min since (105% of 36)
BACK Gordon back 3/15 after 2, 24 min since (85% of 28)
PHX availability going into 3/21 · back-to-backOUT Okogie missed 9 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK Booker back 3/11 after 4, 37 min since (103% of 36)
BACK Gordon back 3/15 after 2, 22 min since (80% of 28)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 107, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 16 free throws a game; Brown at 29 and Tatum at 27 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Porziņģis (3 straight). One day's rest. Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; Durant at 34 and Beal at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Okogie (5 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Phoenix giving it away 14 times a game to Boston's 10 and the defense, Boston allowing 107 a night to Phoenix's 113. Call it Boston 117, Phoenix 111.
3/07 @ DEN 109-115 — BOS notes
BOS lost 109-115. BOS shot 45% (41 of 91) to DEN's 50%, 11 of 38 from three. BOS turned it over 12 times to DEN's 7, and DEN turned those into 10 steals. Brown led with 41 (16 of 29, 2 of 7 from three, 7 of 14 at the line); Porziņģis added 24, Tatum 15. Q4 was theirs, 29-25, the deficit cut from 10 to 6, but the other 3 periods went 90-80 against them. Tillman's -12 in 13 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/09 @ PHX 117-107 — BOS notes
BOS won 117-107. BOS shot 49% (46 of 94) to PHX's 51%, 15 of 39 from three. Tatum led with 29 (11 of 28, 5 of 9 from three); Brown added 27, Holiday 15. The hinge was Q2, 31-24: a lead of 5 became 12, and the lead reached 15. Pritchard was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
3/11 @ POR 121-99 — BOS notes
BOS won 121-99. BOS shot 49% (49 of 100) to POR's 45%, 15 of 40 from three. BOS turned it over 3 times to POR's 11. Brown led with 27 (13 of 29, 1 of 8 from three); Tatum added 26, Hauser 22. The hinge was Q1, 37-28: from level to 9 ahead, and the lead reached 24. Hauser was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
3/12 @ UTA 123-107 — BOS notes
BOS won 123-107. BOS shot 47% (43 of 92) to UTA's 48%, 20 of 49 from three, and went to the line 19 times to UTA's 11 — 17 points from the stripe to their 10. Tatum led with 38 (13 of 25, 4 of 10 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); White added 24, Holiday 16. The hinge was Q1, 44-33: from level to 11 ahead, and the lead reached 22. White was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
3/14 vs PHX 127-112 — BOS notes
BOS won 127-112. BOS shot 53% (47 of 89) to PHX's 47%, 25 of 50 from three. BOS turned it over 8 times to PHX's 13. The glass went 33-51 against them. Brown led with 37 (14 of 23, 5 of 9 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); Tatum added 26, Horford 24. The hinge was Q3, 37-25: a lead of 5 became 17, and the lead reached 20. Tatum was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
3/17 @ WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 116, shooting 47 percent and 33 from three, 20 free throws a game; Kuzma at 24 and Avdija at 18 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 13 a night. Without Bagley III (6 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 108, shooting 48 percent and 40 from three, 16 free throws a game; Brown at 33 and Tatum at 27 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Porziņģis (4 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-0 a night and Washington minus-13 and the arc, Boston at 40 percent from three to Washington's 33. Call it Boston 120, Washington 110, Boston by 10.
3/18 vs DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 106, shooting 49 percent and 43 from three, 16 free throws a game; Brown at 30 and Tatum at 30 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Porziņģis (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Detroit comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 111, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 22 free throws a game; Cunningham at 20 and Fontecchio at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 11 a night. Without Brown Jr. (4 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 43 percent from three to Detroit's 32 and the glass, where Detroit has been plus-11 a night and Boston plus-0. Call it Boston 120, Detroit 108, Boston by 12.
3/20 vs MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 103, shooting 49 percent and 45 from three, 16 free throws a game; Brown at 32 and Tatum at 30 a game. That is 5 straight wins. One day's rest. Milwaukee comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 121, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 23 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 32 and Lillard at 24 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 103 a night to Milwaukee's 121 and the line, where Milwaukee takes 23 free throws a game to Boston's 16. Call it Boston 122, Milwaukee 112, Boston by 10.
3/22 @ DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Detroit comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 101 a night and allowing 111, shooting 43 percent and 31 from three, 21 free throws a game; Cunningham at 18 and Fontecchio at 16 a game. That is 4 straight losses. One day's rest. Boston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 107, shooting 48 percent and 46 from three, 19 free throws a game; Tatum at 31 and Brown at 30 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Holiday (2 straight), Hauser (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 46 percent from three to Detroit's 31 and the turnovers, Detroit giving it away 15 times a game to Boston's 10. Call it Boston 118, Detroit 109.
3/05 @ DEN 117-107 — PHX notes
PHX won 117-107 in 1 overtime. PHX shot 44% (42 of 96) to DEN's 43%, 15 of 34 from three, and went to the line 22 times to DEN's 14 — 18 points from the stripe to their 10. PHX turned it over 9 times to DEN's 14. Durant led with 35 (14 of 34, 3 of 8 from three); Allen added 28, Beal 16. The hinge was Q2, 37-18: PHX came in trailing by 4 and left it ahead by 15, and the lead reached 22. Allen was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
3/07 vs TOR 120-113 — PHX notes
PHX won 120-113. PHX shot 51% (44 of 86) to TOR's 46%, 15 of 35 from three. PHX turned it over 14 times to TOR's 9. The glass went 49-36 for them. Durant led with 35 (11 of 19, 2 of 5 from three, 11 of 12 at the line); Allen added 26, Beal 20. The hinge was Q1, 39-25: from level to 14 ahead, and the lead reached 19. Allen was the night's best plus/minus at +9.
3/09 vs BOS 107-117 — PHX notes
PHX lost 107-117. PHX shot 51% (44 of 87) to BOS's 49%, 9 of 31 from three. Durant led with 45 (18 of 26, 4 of 7 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Beal added 25, Bol 13. Q3 was theirs, 28-25, the deficit cut from 12 to 9, but the other 3 periods went 92-79 against them. Eubanks's -20 in 11 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/11 @ CLE 117-111 — PHX notes
PHX won 117-111. PHX shot 55% (46 of 84) to CLE's 48%, 12 of 32 from three. Durant led with 37 (14 of 26, 5 of 10 from three); Booker added 27, Beal 24. The hinge was Q3, 34-21: PHX came in trailing by 7 and left it ahead by 6. PHX trailed 63-70 at the half and won the second half 54-41. Durant was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
3/14 @ BOS 112-127 — PHX notes
PHX lost 112-127. PHX took 10 more shots (99 to 89), fed by 19 offensive rebounds, but shot 47% to BOS's 53%, 11 of 31 from three. PHX turned it over 13 times to BOS's 8, and BOS turned those into 12 steals. The glass went 51-33 for them. Booker led with 23 (9 of 20, 1 of 6 from three); Beal added 22, Allen 20. Q4 was theirs, 27-25, the deficit cut from 17 to 15, but the other 3 periods went 102-85 against them. Beal's -21 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/15 @ CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Charlotte comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 101 a night and allowing 105, shooting 46 percent and 32 from three, 15 free throws a game; Bridges at 23 and Miller at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 115, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 17 free throws a game; Durant at 34 and Beal at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Gordon (2 straight), Okogie (6 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Phoenix wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-7 a night and Charlotte minus-7 and the defense, Charlotte allowing 105 a night to Phoenix's 115. Call it Phoenix 112, Charlotte 111, Charlotte keeping it close.
3/17 @ MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 120, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 24 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 31 and Lillard at 22 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Middleton (16 straight). 2 days' rest. Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 113, shooting 50 percent and 35 from three, 17 free throws a game; Durant at 30 and Booker at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without Okogie (7 straight). One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-9 a night and Milwaukee minus-4 and the line, where Milwaukee takes 24 free throws a game to Phoenix's 17. Call it Phoenix 116, Milwaukee 115, Milwaukee keeping it close.
3/20 vs PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 118, shooting 51 percent and 35 from three, 16 free throws a game; Durant at 25 and Booker at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Okogie (8 straight). 2 days' rest. Philadelphia comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 94 a night and allowing 96, shooting 43 percent and 34 from three, 16 free throws a game; Maxey at 27 and Oubre Jr. at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Embiid (22 straight), Harris (2 straight), Melton (10 straight). One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the defense, Philadelphia allowing 96 a night to Phoenix's 118 and the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-7 a night and Philadelphia minus-6. Call it Phoenix 111, Philadelphia 109, Philadelphia keeping it close.
3/21 vs ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 115, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 14 free throws a game; Booker at 22 and Allen at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 10 a night. Without Okogie (9 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Atlanta comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 115, shooting 44 percent and 39 from three, 17 free throws a game; Murray at 26 and Johnson at 23 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Young (12 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-10 a night and Atlanta minus-4 and the turnovers, Phoenix giving it away 14 times a game to Atlanta's 11. Call it Phoenix 118, Atlanta 114, Atlanta keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
PHXBB B. Beal
BB B. Bol
DB D. Booker
DE D. Eubanks
DR D. Roddy
GA G. Allen
IW I. Wainright
JN J. Nurkić
KD K. Durant
NL N. Little
NU Nurkic
RO R. O'Neale
TY T. Young
BOSAH A. Horford
DW D. White
JB J. Brown
JH J. Holiday
JT J. Tatum
LK L. Kornet
PP P. Pritchard
SH S. Hauser
XT X. Tillman
PHX/BOS the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Brown, Tatum combine for 63 points as Celtics overwhelm Suns for 2nd time in a week, 127-112
BOSTON -- — Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla has a team rule that everybody contests shots, even after the whistle. Players, coaches -- everybody.
So when Mazzulla sprinted to prevent Phoenix's Royce O'Neale from dropping in a practice basket heading into a timeout, it didn't shock Jayson Tatum .
“Just Joe being Joe,” the All-Star said.
It's a mentality that continues to permeate throughout the Celtics as NBA's top team keeps racking up wins — and now a playoff spot.
Jaylen Brown scored 37 points, Tatum added 26 and Boston powered past the Phoenix Suns 127-112 on Thursday night, becoming the first team to clinch a spot in the postseason.
Al Horford finished with 24 points, including six of Boston’s season high-tying 25 3-pointers to help the Celtics down the Suns for the second time in a week. Boston improved to an NBA-best 52-14 on the season and 10-2 in the second game of back--to-backs.
Brown said his performance was a microcosm of how he's tried to attack everything this season — with an eye on not repeating the same mistakes that have contributed to his team coming up short of their championship goal.
That has included a season-long focus on improving his ability as a playmaker.
"Just attacked my weaknesses," Brown said. “I feel like some of the things you said about me last year you can't say about me this year.”
In their two wins over the Suns, the Celtics combined for 40 3-pointers.
“They're the best in the league at it,” Suns coach Frank Vogel said. “It's tough to guard. You talk about all the ways you try to limit it. We did the best we can with it. But we didn't do enough tonight.”
Devin Booker led the Suns with 23 points. Bradley Beal finished with 22 points and seven assists. Kevin Durant and Grayson Allen both added 20 points.
Boston won despite playing without Kristaps Porzingis , who missed his fourth straight game with a strained right hamstring. He remains day to day.
Last week, the Celtics overpowered a Suns team playing without Booker (ankle) during a double-digit win in Phoenix, despite a 45-point night by Durant.
Durant came out hot again in Thursday’s rematch. But Booker started slowly before finishing 9 of 20 from the field. Meanwhile, the All-Star duo of Tatum and Brown combined for 43 of the Celtics’ 65 first-half points.
Tatum was in attack mode for most of the opening 24 minutes, leading a Celtics flurry just before halftime by scoring seven of his team’s final 10 points. That included back-to-back 3s over Durant that sent roars throughout the home crowd. He also was one of the primary defenders on Durant, limiting him to only five points over the final three quarters.
Tatum and Durant dueled early, trading baskets in the opening period, with each showing off multiple ways to break down the opposing defense. Durant had 15 first-quarter points, connecting on 7 of 8 shots. Tatum poured in 13 points, going 6 for 9 from the field.
It all helped offset Phoenix’s 27-13 rebounding edge in the first half.