Robert Williams went out with a bang, finishing 2021 in style with 10 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and five blocks in a 123-108 rout of Phoenix. That marked Williams’ first triple-double in 141 NBA appearances.
Time Lord didn’t miss a shot in Friday’s New Year’s Eve matinee, finishing a perfect 5-of-5 from the field as Boston snapped its three-game losing streak in impressive fashion, at one point leading the defending Western Conference champs by 30. The Celtics couldn’t buy a shot in their loss to the Clippers Wednesday night (season-low 82 points, 4-of-42 from three-point range), but Friday they fared much better, erupting for 67 first-half points on remarkable 58.1-percent shooting.
Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart each chipped in with 24 points, outgunning Phoenix’s backcourt duo of Devin Booker and Chris Paul. Booker has been a thorn in Boston’s side throughout his career (28.1 ppg including a 70-point outburst in 2017), but the Celtics largely held him in check, limiting the All-Star guard to 22 points on anemic 7-of-26 shooting (26.9 percent) as Phoenix fell to 27-8 on the year.
The Celtics (17-19) have played their last three games without leading scorer Jayson Tatum, who was placed in the league’s health and safety protocols earlier this week. This is Tatum’s second COVID bout after missing five games with the virus last January. Prior to Williams accomplishing the feat Friday, Boston’s most recent triple-double came from Tatum, who tallied 14 points, 13 boards and 10 assists in a loss to Chicago last April.
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