Celtics Notes: David Lee, Tyler Zeller Feeling Squeeze Of Smaller Lineups

BOSTON — The Celtics’ double-digit win Friday over the Phoenix Suns was a confidence booster for pretty much everyone on the roster.

Two players at the end of Boston’s bench might disagree with that statement, though.

David Lee and Tyler Zeller were the only two Celtics not to play in the team’s 117-103 win at TD Garden. Lee has played just once in Boston’s last six games, while Zeller has seen the floor once in the last five.

So, what gives? The short answer: Brad Stevens’ new rotation. The Celtics head coach has opted to trim his rotation down to nine players and in the team’s last several games has relied heavily on small lineups that sometimes feature just one true big man on the court.

Those small lineups have produced success, with Marcus Smart frustrating New York Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis on Tuesday and Boston’s guards clamping down on the Indiana Pacers down the stretch Wednesday.

But Stevens is well aware of the situation he has created.

“I think there’s going to be games that necessitate that other guys play,” Stevens said Friday. “We’ve got two really good guys — Tyler Zeller and David Lee — that didn’t play. They can play against, certainly, bigger teams, and it just happens, we’re in a stretch of teams where, in the New York game, we chose to go small because it was a curveball that we felt like might help us in that game.

“But in the last two (games), your hand is forced a little bit because of the way that both teams play and the way that their 4-men shoot it.

“I like the group that’s playing, but I like the guys that aren’t. So, we’ll see.”

Stevens has some choices to make going forward, but Boston now has won two straight, so it appears his decision to leave Lee and Zeller out of the rotation is working. For now.

Click for the Celtics-Suns Wrap >>

Let’s hit a few other notes from Celtics-Suns:

— Kelly Olynyk was hotter than the sun (and the Suns) in the second quarter.

Olynyk broke the game open with an incredible stretch in which he scored 13 points in a row for the C’s over a span of just over two minutes. Olynyk knocked down 4 of 6 3-pointers on the night as part of Boston’s impressive 14-for 30-effort from deep.

“I mean, everything feels better when the ball hits the net,” Stevens said of Olynyk’s outburst. “I think that that’s the bottom line. He can shoot the basketball. He was clearly feeling good. And once he hit one or two, then the rim just looks a little wider. It was good. We needed a night where we shot the ball well from three, so it was good to see the ball go through the net some.”

— Amir Johnson has battled a left foot injury this season that forced him to miss two games in December. Johnson dropped 13 points and collected five rebounds Friday but played less than 19 minutes and was seen walking to the locker room just before the end of the first half with his left foot iced and wrapped.

“It’s random,” Johnson said of his foot ailment. “Sometimes it’s sore, and sometimes it’s good to go. So, I’ve just got to make sure I do all the right stuff (to stay healthy).”

— The Celtics finally got a chance to catch their breath.

Boston’s 14-point win marked the first time in 10 games it had played a game decided by 10 points or more, dating to a 13-point win over the Charlotte Hornets on Dec. 23. The C’s went 4-6 in that span.

— The UFC’s brightest stars are in town ahead of Sunday’s UFC Fight Night at TD Garden. UFC president Dana White was in attendance Friday, and forward Jonas Jerebko met up with welterweight champion Robbie Lawler pregame.