Celtics forward Jayson Tatum drives between Phoenix’s Devin Booker, left, and Jock Landale during Boston’s 125-98 win Wednesday night in Phoenix. Rick Scuteri/Associated Press
PHOENIX — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each scored 25 points, Malcolm Brodgon added 16 off the bench and the Boston Celtics embarrassed the Phoenix Suns 125-98 on Wednesday night.
The Celtics won for the eighth time in nine games, improving their NBA-best record to 21-5. The Suns, who went into the game with the best record in a crowded Western Conference race, lost for the third time in four games.
The expected showdown between two of the league’s top teams never materialized, as the Celtics led by 45 points in the third quarter. Boston took a 31-21 lead after one quarter over the cold-shooting Suns, who missed all eight of their 3-point attempts, then continued to build its lead in the second, extending it 69-42 by halftime. Brown led the Celtics with 17 points in the first half, while Tatum scored 14. Grant Williams and Brogdon both added 12.
The second half was essentially an afterthought. Tatum hit a free throw with 7:01 left in the third to push Boston’s advantage to 40, and a Brown 3-pointer made it 94-49.
Phoenix’s night was summed up in the third quarter when Mikal Bridges, Chris Paul and Devin Booker all tried to grab a loose ball, only to collectively bobble it away into the hands of Boston’s Marcus Smart, who scored an easy layup.
The Suns welcomed back All-Star point guard Chris Paul, who missed 14 games because of a sore right heel. That’s good news for the team’s long-term prognosis, but it didn’t help much on Wednesday.
Josh Okogie led the Suns with a career-high 28 points off the bench, while Booker scored 17. Paul finished with four points, four rebounds and four assists in 24 minutes.
TIP-INS
Celtics: Forward Al Horford missed the game after entering the league’s health and safety protocol … Brogdon returned after missing one game because of a non-COVID illness. … Luke Kornet had 12 points on 6-of-6 shooting. Williams also made all six of his shots and finished with 14 points.
Suns: Forward Torrey Craig (right groin) was back in the starting lineup after missing three games. … Hosted a sellout crowd for the 41st consecutive game.
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