Having won only one of their last six games, and Rajon Rondo unable to play due to a sprained wrist, the Phoenix Suns found just the right time to play the Boston Celtics, and came away with a 79-71 victory. It was the second road win in a row for the Suns, and a much needed win on a very tough road trip. The Suns held the Celtics to 20 or fewer points each quarter, and out-rebounded the Celtics, who are ranked 29th in the NBA, 44-32. It was the lowest home scoring production for the Celtics since Ray Allen and Paul Pierce joined the team in 2007.
With the score tied at six, Marcin Gortat ran off the next 14 points for the Suns, and gave them a 20-15 lead at the end of the first quarter. After the game Gortat said, “The last game I didn’t play well and I was hoping that today I am going to redeem myself. It was a good game. The whole team play(ed) outstanding defense.” Gortat scored a game-high 24, and added 12 rebounds for his seventh straight double-double.
The Suns led the entire second quarter, and extended their lead to 11 by halftime. The biggest difference in the quarter was that the Suns were getting to the foul line. They made seven of ten, while the Celtics made just one of two opportunities. Although the Suns only took 14 shots, they made eight, including three three-pointers. The Celtics made just nine of 25, and shot 36.4 percent for the half.
With the Suns leading 46-35 going into the third quarter, the Celtics out-scored the Suns 18-4 in the first eight minutes of the third. The Celtics took a 53-50 lead when former Suns Mickael Pietrus nailed a wide open three-pointer, but the Suns ended the quarter on a 10-2 run, and regained the lead 60-55 going into the fourth.
The Celtics could not get any closer than five points throughout the fourth quarter, as they struggled to find points, scoring only 16 on 14 shots. The one thing that kept the game close was that the Suns gave up 21 points on 18 turnovers. The Celtics only had nine free throw attempts the entire game.
The Celtics really showed their age, struggling to find their shot, and playing at a very slow-pace without Rondo, their floor general. Ray Allen led the Celtics with 14 points. Paul Pierce had 12 points and six assists. Ray Allen and Brandon Bass led the Celtics with six rebounds.
Steve Nash just missed another double-double, with 11 points and nine assists. He said, “With Rondo out of the lineup… we could close down the court and take away their space.” Markieff Morris, who started his second game for the Suns ended up scoreless, and committed four turnovers. The Suns are still looking for the right mix of players to provide offense, while playing good team defense.
The Suns have one more road game as they travel to Dallas to take on the Mavericks (10-7) January 23, before they return home to play the Toronto Raptors (4-13).
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