BOSTON — The Celtics have played a lot of nailbiters recently in what has been a particularly trying stretch.
But head coach Brad Stevens’ bunch could breathe easy Friday night.
The Celtics went to work against the free-falling Phoenix Suns at TD Garden, dropping 68 points in the first half en route to a painless 117-103 win that saw the home team lead from wire to wire.
The Suns actually made it a game in the first half before Kelly Olynyk caught fire, scoring 13 points late in the second quarter during a 22-5 Boston run to close out the half.
Olynyk (21 points) paced an extremely balanced Celtics attack that saw all five starters in double figures. Marcus Smart posted a triple-double with an incredible stat line of 10 points, 11 assists, 11 rebounds, two steals and two blocks, while Jared Sullinger (11 points, 10 rebounds) notched his 11th double-double of the season.
Mirza Teletovic finished with a team-high 22Â points for the Suns, who now have lost 12 of their last 13 games.
STARTING FIVE
Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Jared Sullinger, Amir Johnson
OFFENSE FOR EVERYONE!
The first quarter was kind to the entire Celtics offense.
Boston couldn’t miss out of the gate, drilling 10 of their first 13 shots and finishing the quarter with 36 points on 12 of 25 shooting.
Bradley also felt the love, making his first 3-pointer since Dec. 30 to break out of a 1 for 20 streak from distance. He cooled off after that, though, missing his next three deep balls to extend that streak to 2 for 24.
HAIR ON FIRE
Olynyk ditched the man bun Friday, and it paid dividends.
The Canada native and his flowing locks went on a scintillating run in the second quarter, as Olynyk scored 13 consecutive Celtics points over a span of two minutes and 15 seconds that included three straight 3-pointers.
Boston struggled early in the quarter and committed five turnovers in the frame, but Olynyk’s outburst helped the club close out the half on a 22-5 run.
CRUISE CONTROL
The Celtics didn’t exactly pull away in the second half, but they did enough to fend off the lowly Suns.
Phoenix actually outscored Boston during a foul-filled third quarter that saw the two teams combine for 33 free throws. The Suns shot just 33 percent (7 for 21) from the field in the frame but went 14 of 17 from the charity stripe to rack up 31 points to the Celtics’ 28.
GARBAGE TIME?
Boston managed just 21Â points in the fourth quarter, which had the unintended consequence of cutting into the minutes of James Young and R.J. Hunter.
The two players at the end of the Celtics’ bench entered with less than two minutes remaining in the contest, as Boston led by double figures for the entire quarter but couldn’t stretch their lead to 20 points.
PLAY OF THE NIGHT
Thomas victimized his former team with a strong take to end the first quarter:
UP NEXT
The Celtics kick off a three-game road trip in our nation’s capital. The C’s will travel to Washington on Saturday to take on the Wizards, who have climbed back to .500 (19-19) after winning four straight. Tipoff at Verizon Center is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
