PHOENIX — Wednesday’s 132-102 Suns loss to the Boston Celtics is easy to flush if the Phoenix can quickly return back to the style of play that got it a four-game winning streak.
But do we trust them to do that?
That is for you to decide.
Phoenix’s shocking transformation into the team that hits first and wins by outworking the opposition was nowhere to be found, a Cinderella pumpkin. We’ll see if the clock struck midnight on just this night or the few more we’ve got left this season.
The winning formula for Phoenix had totally shifted, getting enough through defense and phenomenal play out of two stars to start showing an actual fight to qualify for the postseason. The Suns across the four-game winning streak did not have any other player besides Kevin Durant or Devin Booker reach 20 points, with the three close victories featuring high-scoring efforts of 41 from Booker and 42 and 38 via Durant. Ditto for the playmaking, with Durant’s eight assists followed by 10 and 12 out of Booker topping the team in those contests.
The big question on Wednesday was if either the Suns’ defense was ready enough to contain Boston or their offense would match the Celtics to offset that. The Celtics take and make the most 3s in the NBA by far. They have made at least 20 in 22 games, 10 more than any other team, per Stathead. Most teams look at 15 as a good night at the office and Boston averages 17.8.
It looked like that would be the story from the jump, and after an encouraging response in the moment by the Suns, that indeed was the tale.
Boston exploded out to a 21-9 edge, taking 11 of its 12 shots from deep and converting on seven.
“They had us scrambling,” Durant said. “They had us chasing ’em all night.”
A few were a couple of feet behind the line, something Boston is more than capable of.
“When you see that thing hit the net like that from that deep. … We know this is coming, we know what type of team they are (and) we know what type of league we in but it’s still a little demoralizing when teams hit deep 3s,” Durant said.
The five-out spacing was a problem for Suns center Nick Richards, who looked like he was tasked with protecting the rim on drives while also defending a stretch big. That is not possible, so he was in no man’s land for a few of those and didn’t do himself any favors on his timing, either. Head coach Mike Budenholzer failed to give a direct answer when asked about what the schematic goals were with Richards’ coverage while also saying Richards has to be better at getting out to 3-point shooters.
A spirited Booker after Phoenix allowed an offensive rebound and assistant coach David Fizdale during the timeout in the players’ huddle (while the coaches were in their own huddle) seemed to wake everyone up. The Suns’ defensive disposition was relocated and they responded immediately with a 13-2 run to only trail by one after a horrific start.
Phoenix finished the opening quarter down just four at 42-38 behind a scoring flurry that included 10 of Boston’s 22 triples and 16 of Durant’s 30.
That pace continued. Just on one end of the floor, though.
The Celtics kept generating 3s and far more than we’ve seen over the last week were coming as a result of Phoenix lapses. Richards kept struggling with his assignment, including a brain fart moment when he picked up a defensive three seconds call when all five Celtics were outside of the 3-point line.
His teammates were blowing assignments, too. Boston didn’t light it up again in the second quarter, but Phoenix’s offense totally stagnated. A 31-16 second quarter saw the Suns go down by as many as 25 points before eventually cutting the lead to 19 at halftime.
Durant thought the Suns passed up on too many 3s in that quarter specifically, later saying Phoenix has to try to take as many as possible when they’re there, not in a way to counter Boston specifically but just as a general objective.
This was all for a Celtics team without Jayson Tatum (left ankle sprain). They are now 5-1 without him and with Jaylen Brown, known as one of the deepest teams in the league for a reason.
Boston midway through the third quarter eventually broke the dam and did a cartwheel through it to expand the advantage to 34 with 2:45 to go in the period as the errors compounded, ending the evening.
The big-time step back defensively is all well and good if it doesn’t have any carryover. Allowing 132 points to the Celtics will happen to a lot of teams, even though Phoenix had recently shown it was much more capable of defensively impacting a high-level offense (like Cleveland). Mustering that type of attitude, however, is difficult to do given what we saw over four months as opposed to one week.
Boston had four players in double figures already by the time a second Sun joined Durant. Brown and Kristaps Porzingis went off in the third quarter when everything got out of hand. Brown’s eight points out of 24 and 13 of Porzingis’ 30 was a hell of a one-two punch for a squad without its superstar. Al Horford, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White all chipped in with 16 each.
Durant maintained his tremendous offensive form with 11-of-15 shooting for his 30 points in 30 minutes. He did not have much help. Booker offered 14 points (4-for-13), seven rebounds, 10 assists and three turnovers. He was -33 in 34 minutes. Durant was 3-for-4 from 3 while the rest of the team combined to shoot 10-of-37 (27%).
Richards has been an up-and-down performer, with the warranted concerns about his basketball IQ and ability to translate to a competitive team getting exposed in most games. This was the climax of that. He ended up with 10 points, four rebounds and was a -19 in 19 minutes.
The Suns were surely hoping with the (for them) pricey cost of two second-round picks that they found someone who could be a long-term starter while filling a dire need, but rookie Oso Ighodaro has consistently outperformed Richards when given the opportunity to do so. While Ighodaro has been a positive, that has more to do with Richards underdelivering.
The trade was thought of as bringing in a young and talented big, but Richards is 27 years old. He is on the books next year for a cheap $5 million that is nonguaranteed. Getting under the second apron will be a priority for the front office. Would it be important enough to bail on Richards after a year, even with what the Suns gave up getting him? It is both unlikely and worth mentioning.
It’s also a roster storyline to watch in the offseason. The thought behind Ighodaro in the draft was a high floor, low ceiling type of guy that would have to undergo a high-percentile outcome to be a starter. Point being, Phoenix should not rule out drafting another 5 or acquiring one in a trade.
Phoenix still sits 10th in the standings, tied with the Dallas Mavericks at 35-38. None of the other Western Conference teams vying for a play-in spot were in action on Wednesday.