As they often have this season, the Celtics responded to their 21-point loss to the Miami Heat by flipping the script, bouncing back with a 20-point, 123-103 win over the Phoenix Suns.
With the win, Boston improved to 18-2 when coming off a loss this season and inched closer to 60 wins for the second straight year, moving to 57-20.
Jaylen Brown led the way for the Celtics, finishing with 31 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Jayson Tatum was one of five other Celtics to finish in double figures, flirting with a triple-double with 23 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. Derrick White wasn’t far off from a triple-double either, posting 12 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.
Devin Booker scored 37 points on 15-of-29 (51.7%) shooting for the Suns, who were without Kevin Durant due to an ankle injury. Bradley Beal made his return to the Phoenix lineup after missing the last eight games with a left hamstring strain but totaled just one point on 0-of-7 shooting, registering a team-worst -23.
Here are three takeaways from a win in which the Celtics trailed for just 59 seconds.
The Celtics broke the NBA record for most three-pointers in a single season
Boston entered the night needing eight three-pointers to break the NBA’s single-season record. Less than four minutes into the second quarter, they hit that mark — fittingly on a pull-up 26-footer from Payton Pritchard, who is currently extending his own record for most threes off the bench in a single season.
The previous record of 1,362 was held by Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and the Golden State Warriors from the 2022-23 season. The Celtics finished just 12 shy of that mark last year.
Three of the top five single-season three-point totals now belong to Celtics teams coached by Joe Mazzulla — with last year’s group ranking third (1,351) and the 2022-23 team fifth (1,315). The 2018-19 Rockets (1,323) sit at fourth. Those five teams remain the only ones in league history to hit 1,300 threes in a season, though more teams are on pace to join them soon.
Since Mazzulla took over as head coach in 2022, Boston has finished first or second in both three-pointers made and attempted per game each season. This year, they’re on track to break the per-game records for makes (17.8; the record is 16.7 by the 2020-21 Jazz) and attempts (48.3; the record is 45.4 by the 2018-19 Rockets).
“It says that we fight for a good shot regardless of what it is,” Mazzulla said on breaking the record. “The most important thing is continuing to understand how we’re being defended. How can we generate 2-on-1s? How can we create the best shot possible? So it’s a credit to the guys for continuing to make the right reads and find their coverage solutions.”
"Mazzulla Ball" is often associated with a barrage of three-point attempts, but that’s only part of the story. It’s a style of play grounded in creating advantages with proper spacing, making the right reads, and finding an open shot.
For the Celtics, with so many capable shooters up and down the roster, that shot is often a three-pointer because that’s what they are built, and it’s yielded good results.
Though not 100%, Jaylen Brown continues to look good
Jaylen Brown has shown clear discomfort while dealing with his knee injury and isn’t quite himself. However, he’s finding ways to adjust his game and still be effective. After scoring 31 points on 10-of-16 (62.5%) shooting from the field, 3-of-4 (75%) from three, and 8-of-9 (88.9%) from the free throw line, Brown is averaging 20.4 points on 54.4% shooting from the field and 42.3% from three, along with 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists over his last five games since returning from a three-game absence.
“Just learning to make adjustments,” Brown explained. “I’ve probably relied on my athleticism a lot this season. [Now I’m] using more of my skill, playing a little bit slower—which could sometimes be a good thing. So it’s all about just figuring that out. Using these games to kind of figure it out. Taking it one game at a time.”
The All-Star wing remains on a minutes restriction, capped at 30 per game. He hasn’t gone over that mark since March 12 against the Thunder, and in Boston’s 11 games since then, he’s played in six and sat five. With the playoffs just two weeks away, Brown is still working to figure out how he can best help the team — and he has the full support of head coach Joe Mazzulla.
“I appreciate Joe. He’s given me grace. He’s letting me feel through it,” said Brown. “I still want him to hold me to that same standard, but I appreciate Joe for the communication.”
As he works through these adjustments, Brown has been pulling inspiration from other players. One of those players was in the building on Friday night.
“It’s funny because he was at the game today, but before the game, I was watching some Paul Pierce footage, just getting to your spots, playing at a certain pace,” Brown said. “And today, I felt like I didn’t have my normal burst, but I was still able to be effective. So I think that’s good. As we continue to move forward, I’m hoping to feel better and better. But there’s no guarantee that rest or anything like that is going to make this thing better, so kind of figuring it out and going through it and getting ready for the playoffs.”
Joe Mazzulla tightened his rotation
For the first time since February 23 (21 games ago), the Celtics had their entire top-nine-minute getters (White, Holiday, Brown, Tatum, Porzingis, Horford, Pritchard, Hauser, Kornet) all available, and Joe Mazzulla took advantage of the opportunity to get them some extended reps.
“Obviously, you want to get some reps for those guys, as long as we maintain our health, which I think we did,” Mazzulla said after the game. “I thought they were able to execute and communicate with each other on both ends of the floor. KP only at 23 [minutes] because he obviously, got the stitches. I tried to get them higher in minutes and reps together, and I thought they did a good job.”
As Mazzulla mentioned, Porzingis left the game early in the fourth quarter after taking an elbow to the nose, which required stitches. But before he went down, the starting five logged 11 minutes together, scoring 35 points on 11-of-17 shooting (64.7%) from the field and 6-of-10 (60%) from three, outscoring the Suns by 12. They posted a 159.1 offensive rating, a 100.0 defensive rating, and a 59.1 net rating.
A matchup against the Suns’ porous defense may have been just what this group needed. Entering the night, the Celtics’ starting five had a 112.3 offensive rating, a 114.5 defensive rating, and a -2.2 net rating across 22 games and 332 minutes together. They had been outscored by -17, the worst of any of Boston’s five-man lineups.
While the sample sizes are incomparable, the Celtics’ starting five again took care of business against Phoenix, exploiting mismatches and getting whatever they wanted. The bench unit of Pritchard, Hauser, Horford, and Kornet also contributed 34 points.
Mazzulla rode that nine-man rotation for all but 1:53 when they checked out with a 21-point lead and “You Should Be Dancing” by the Bee Gees playing throughout the Garden, signaling it was Gino time. As a group, they outscored Phoenix 119-98, shooting 53.1% from the field and 37.8% from three, while the Suns shot 44.3% from the field and 31.4% from downtown.
“We’re playing some great basketball right now, and this is the time of year you want to be. So we want to prioritize health— it’s not going to be perfect,” said Brown. “But as a team, if we work together and we keep emphasizing ‘team,’ then I think we have enough. We’ve got plenty.”
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