Boston Celtics (45-23) beat Phoenix Suns (39-29) 120-112 at home on Monday, March 16.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Suns struck first, taking the opening quarter 32-31 and a 1-point lead after one. The Celtics moved in front with a 34-29 second quarter, carrying a 4-point lead into halftime.
The Celtics won the third 26-25 to create some separation, taking a 5-point lead into the fourth. The Celtics took the fourth 29-26; the Celtics finished the job for a 120-112 regulation win.
What decided it
The Celtics got more from their shots, finishing at 59.4% effective field-goal shooting compared with 52.4% for the Suns. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Suns did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 9.3 against 13.3. The Celtics made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 97 possessions per team, the Celtics produced 123.3 points per 100 possessions to 115.1 for the Suns.
The Suns' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 38-13.
Who made the difference
Jaylen Brown was the game's biggest individual force for BOS: 41 pts, 7 reb, 6 ast on 10-20 shooting. His Game Score of 34.6 led everyone. His team was +9 with him on the floor.
Devin Booker led the Suns with 40 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast on 15-24 shooting, good for a 26.4 Game Score.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Celtics about a 78% chance.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Boston Celtics lead 3-0.
The Celtics are now 45-23, and the Suns are 39-29. The Celtics last five before this game: W-W-L-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.