Following a dominant performance against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, the Boston Celtics let up in an embarrassing loss to the Phoenix Suns.
The Celtics lost 106-94 on Friday night, snapping a two-game win streak, led by a poor performance from Jayson Tatum. The Celtics have now lost four of their last six games, and Marcus Smart is desperately needed. Despite this poor run, Boston remains first in the Eastern Conference, but only by a 1.5-game margin over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Jaylen Brown got the Boston Celtics off to a fast start, scoring 12 points in the first quarter. Brown’s tweet with the message “energy shifting” preceded the strong start. Brown was the only Celtics player who got the message because everyone else was distracted. The Celtics’ offence struggled in the first half, and they experienced shooting regression from Wednesday’s game. It made Cs fans wonder if the deadly cold temperatures from outside had crept into the arena. Despite a 7-0 start, the Celtics trailed by 13 points at the half.
The Boston Celtics took control of the game in the third quarter, outscoring the Suns 29-17. Brown’s strong play continued as he
He finished with 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. The rest of the Cs, however, did not follow, and the Suns took full advantage. With an 8-0 run to begin the fourth quarter, the Suns pulled away from the Celtics to win. Boston is now 0-9 when trailing by eight or more points at halftime, and this is their first double-digit loss at home since November of 2021.
Tatum did not show up to play for the Celtics tonight, which has been an issue all season. When Tatum believes his opponent is inferior, he fails to get up for games, which hurts the Celtics, as seen in this game. He finished with a pedestrian 20 points on 3/15 shooting from the field and 3/10 from behind the 3-point line.
Celtics’
Tatum must resolve his focus issue in order for the Celtics to secure the number one seed and keep his name in the MVP race — with the risk of losing credibility in the MVP race looming if he continues to struggle against lesser opponents. Regardless of the opponent’s calibre, the Celtics rely on him to perform admirably.
The Celtics’ offence has been abysmal over the last six games, despite the absence of Marcus Smart. The Celtics have been held under 100 points three times in this stretch, which is absurd given how good their offence has been. Although Smart’s worth has been questioned at times, he is an important part of the Celtics’ success.