The Phoenix Suns weren't able to get the job done in a close game with the Boston Celtics.
Still down starters Mark Williams and Dillon Brooks due to injury, Phoenix's small ball lineup ultimately wasn't enough.Devin Booker notched 40 points in Phoenix's second consecutive loss, dropping the Suns to 39-29 on the year.
After an early pair of turnovers by Boston, the Suns were able to build a quick 5-0 lead and eventually carried a 20-13 advantage into the first timeout after making their first four-of-five attempts from deep.Boston quickly went on a 7-0 run two minutes into return from action, forcing Jordan Ott to call a timeout and rally the troops. The two sides exchanged blows through the end of the quarter, which saw Phoenix hold a slim 32-31 advantage. Grayson Allen had ten points off the bench while the Celtics shot 11 free throws in the opening 12 minutes.Derrick White wasted no time getting Boston going in the second, knocking home three consecutive three-pointers to push the Celtics back into the lead and forcing another Ott timeout. Jaylen Brown had arguably the play of the quarter when he found Oso Ighodaro on him in the corner, giving him a little shake and bake before burying a three:Haywood Highsmith put home two shots from deep to keep the Suns within reach of the Celtics midway through the second, though Boston switched to a small lineup towards the end of the first half. The Suns trailed 65-61 after White's 16 points in the second quarter. The Celtics shot over 50% from the field and three.Third Quarter Booker wasted no time in the third, hitting back-to-back three-point attempts while the Suns went full-court on their defense to start the second half. However, the Suns couldn't quite guard Tatum or Brown, seeing Ott call another timeout as Phoenix was down 78-69 in the opening minutes of the quarter. Booker had 23 straight points for the Suns and crossed the 30-point threshold in the third quarter. Boston consistently maintained a two/three possession advantage through the period before marching into the fourth with a 91-86 lead. Tonight, Book scored 23 consecutive points in a span from Q2 to Q3, now the 2nd longest streak of consecutive points in Suns history.The Suns dwindled their deficit to two points in the opening stages of the fourth thanks to another pair of threes from Highsmith. In the blink of an eye, Phoenix regained the lead. With just under three minutes to play and out of a Suns timeout, the Celtics took the lead back on a Brown rebound/put-back. A minute later, Brown hit the free throw line, with MVP chants from the home crowd, shooting his 20th and 21st attempts from the line. Down five with under a minute left, Booker was called for an offensive foul — which essentially sealed the Suns' fate. Booker did hit the free throw line later but went one-of-two at the stripe, which saw him hit the 40 point mark and officially gave the Suns their first points in almost three minutes of game time. The Celtics managed to hit free throws and run the clock out from there, securing their sixth consecutive win over Phoenix.Donnie Druin is the Publisher for Arizona Cardinals and Phoenix Suns On SI. Donnie moved to Arizona in 2012 and has been with the company since 2018. In college he won "Best Sports Column" in the state of Arizona for his section and has previously provided coverage for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona State Sun Devils. Follow Donnie on Twitter @DonnieDruin for more news, updates, analysis and more!
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