Grabbing a win against the Boston Celtics is an impressive way to start a five-game road trip for the Phoenix Suns.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!More so, doing it without a leading scorer in Devin Booker along with Cameron Johnson only adds to that feat. From the first quarter, Phoenix set out to never let up on the difficult task of containing Boston.
The hope is that there’s more success down the line of the road trip, as the Suns won 106-94 on Friday night.
Bench Makes the Difference
In the Suns’ last game against the Atlanta Hawks, the bench for Phoenix was practically nowhere to be found. The concern was that many players were beginning to regress with some of the starters returning.
That concern was put to ease on Friday, with the bench being a major contributor to the Suns holding a lead throughout the contest.
Damion Lee was a plus-30 as the fourth quarter got underway. The same could be said for most of the reserves, as they all held a positive plus-minus rating.
The bench also was responsible for seven of the Suns’ 12 made three-pointers for the outing.
Saben Lee, who recently signed on with the Suns for the remainder of the season, possibly had the highlight reel of the night with a dunk over Grant Williams.
Dario Saric also continued his impressive showcasing from the first half. Saric ended the game with 14 points to go along with 13 rebounds and three assists.
Mikal Bridges: Ole Reliable
Bridges’ defense will always be the first thing that comes to mind when discussing his strengths. Yet with so many bodies out, Bridges focus has definitely shifted to being more assertive on the offensive end.
The 26-year-old forward finished the game with 25 points to go along with two rebounds and three assists.
With that, his presence was still felt on the defensive end also. He was seen jumping the passing lanes often to disrupt the Celtics’ offensive flow.
Suns Contain Jayson Tatum
There was no shortage of scoring from Tatum the last time the two clubs met. The MVP candidate was able to put together 25 points while shooting 37 percent from three-point range in December.
Phoenix was able to figure out Tatum’s game this go around though, limiting the forward to a 3-of-15 shooting night. Most of Tatum’s points came from the free throw line, where he held 12 attempts on the night.
The Celtics have multiple players capable of taking the charge on any given night, such was the case with Jaylen Brown on Friday.
Still, limiting Tatum’s strides proved monumental in keeping the Celtics at bay.
Up next for Phoenix will be the Detroit Pistons on Saturday.
