The long-awaited duel between two of the best teams in the League did not take place! As Phoenix welcomed the return to business of star point guard Chris Paul, the Celtics quickly got their hands on the game, leading by 10 points in the first quarter, before scoring 45 in the second half to win. imposing in the (very) large widths (125-98).
Jayson Tatum (25 points, 5 rebounds) and Jaylen Brown (25 points, 7 rebounds) played their game without forcing, well supported by Malcolm Brogdon (16 points, 5 assists), still as effective off the bench. In total mastery of their subject, the C’s won a third victory in a row, the 8th in their last 9 games, which consolidated their first place in the League.
Conversely, the Suns are in a negative dynamic, with this second loss in a row, the 3rd in their last 4 games. Clumsy at 3-pointers (8/32 in the end), the Suns never weighed against the Celtic machine, as if the return of Chris Paul (4 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 stray bullets) had disturbed them , something they clearly didn’t need against the Boston armada.
Symbol of this one-sided match: this action where Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Mikal Bridges do not understand each other on the defensive rebound, which benefits Marcus Smart, alone in the middle of three Suns, for the easy opportunistic basket!
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– A scathing first half! Already off to a bad start by missing their first eight 3-point attempts of the game, the Suns continued their tumble throughout the game, but all the more so in the first half, when they ended with a pitiful 1/16. behind the arc (6% success!) with only one player at 10 points (Booker). Opposite, the C’s shone with no less than four players at 12 points or more, including Brown at 17. And 50% success on shots collectively (28/55)!
– Offensive options in-you-want-here for Boston. We now know the two Jays very well, who carried Boston to the final last season, just like Marcus Smart, their defensive specialist. But the Celtics are much more than that! Starting with a ton of offensive options in a well-oiled system that is now running at full speed under the leadership of Coach Mazzulla. Last night, it was Luke Kornet (12 points at 6/6) or Grant Williams (14 points at 6/6) who embodied this collective in tune. But we could also mention the inevitable 6th man, Malcolm Brogdon, or even Blake Griffin who finished at 9 points (3/4 to 3-pointers) and 9 rebounds for 17 evaluation.
TOPS & FLOPS
✅ Malcolm Brogdon. He had recently failed in the C’s overtime loss to Miami (6 points at 2/7) but since then Brogdon has raised the bar well with a game of 13 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists to beat the Nets, and last night, a solid score of 16 points, 5 assists, all at a very effective 7/9 on shots.
✅⛔️ The Jay’s. With 25 points per head, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown didn’t have to force their talent to beat Phoenix. The first (9/19) did better than the second (9/24) in terms of shot selection, but both men were able to rest in the last quarter, Brown only playing 2 minutes and Tatum not the slightest!
✅ Josh Okogie. At 2 points, 2 rebounds on average, Okogie is usually not a major contributor in the attack of the Suns, he was recruited for his defensive qualities above all. But, last night, he simply had his best career game, with a peak of 28 units, plus 7 rebounds with a very good 8/14 on shots including 4/6 from behind the arc.
⛔️ Mikal Bridges. He had however started the match with a big dunk, but afterwards, it was a desert! As a symbol of the clumsiness of his team, Mikal Bridges went through this duel at the top like a ghost. Limited to 4 points and 3 rebounds in 28 minutes, the Suns’ all-purpose winger never managed to find his way, accumulating an atrocious 2/12 on shots including a 3-point bubble (0/5).
THE FOLLOWING
Boston (21-5): continuation of the “road trip” to Golden State on Saturday.
Phoenix (16-9): traveling to New Orleans on Friday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeaAeBl4jbY
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