The Phoenix Suns are near the bottom of the Western Conference standings, but they have a budding star in Devin Booker.
The 20-year-old guard dropped a remarkable 70 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Boston Celtics notched a 130-120 victory Friday night at TD Garden. With his historic night, Booker became one of just six players to score 70 or more points in a game in NBA history.
Isaiah Thomas led the C’s with 34 points and was one of five Boston players in double figures. Al Horford (15 points, 10 rebounds), Gerald Green (15 points), Jae Crowder (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Kelly Olynyk (13 points) all had strong offensive nights for the Celtics.
With the win, Boston improves to 47-26, while Phoenix drops to 22-51.
Here’s how it all went down.
STARTING FIVE
PG: Isaiah Thomas
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jae Crowder
PF: Amir Johnson
C: Al Horford
SUNS STRUGGLE
The Suns are one of the worst teams in the NBA and that manifested itself early Friday night. Phoenix’s offense was abysmal to start the game, as it didn’t hit its first shot from the floor until the 7:17 mark in the first quarter. However, the Suns went on an 11-4 run to close the frame to somewhat narrow the gap, as Boston led 29-16 after the opening 12 minutes. Thomas and Brown led the C’s with seven points apiece, while Booker led all scorers with 10.
CELTICS SURGE
The Suns were riding a little bit of momentum heading into the second quarter, but the Celtics squashed any chances of the game being close with a dominant frame. Boston’s second-quarter surge gave it a commanding 66-43 lead heading into the break. The C’s received a major lift off the bench from Green, who was the game’s leading scorer after two quarters with 15 points. The veteran forward was red-hot from 3-point land, going 4-for-4 from beyond the arc. Olynyk also was solid off the bench for Boston, posting a nine-point, four-rebound performance in the first half.
BOOKER’S BUCKETS
Boston never really was in danger of giving up the lead in the second half, as the Suns only came within 10 points of the Celtics. The game probably would have been an absolute blowout had it not been for Booker, who had a historic night at TD Garden. The second-year guard converted on 21 of his 40 shots from the floor, and he sunk 24 of his 26 attempts from the free-throw line.
Boston sat its starters for much of the fourth quarter, but Booker’s red-hot shooting forced the C’s to put them into action as the lead narrowed late in the final quarter. With Boston’s victory all but secured, even Celtics fans cheered on Booker as he had one of the most impressive shooting nights in league history.
So while the C’s earned an important home victory as the regular season winds down, Booker undoubtedly was the story Friday night.
You can relive Booker’s incredible night in the video below.
PLAY OF THE GAME
Green, for four!
UP NEXT
The Celtics continue their homestand with a Sunday evening matchup against the Miami Heat. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
