Once more, Jayson Tatum is named East Player of the Month.
Celtics thrash Suns, and Bucks defeat Sixers
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With a combined total of 26 points and 24 rebounds, Tatum and Horford helped Boston win and move one step closer to clinching the top seed in the NBA Eastern Conference for the upcoming postseason.
The Celtics dominated the Suns with a flurry of three-pointers, making 25 out of 50 attempts from beyond the arc. In comparison, the Suns made just 11 out of 31 three-point attempts.
With 23 points, Devin Booker led the Suns scoring, followed by Bradley Beal with 22, Kevin Durant and Grayson Allen with 20 each.
The Celtics’ coach, Joe Mazzulla, praised Brown’s performance throughout the triumph.
“I think he’s really taken the point of emphasis to being a well-rounded player,” Mazzulla stated.
The tenacity of his defense is the foundation of everything about him. It’s important for our squad that he gets off to a strong defensive start because that motivates him.
“And he’s capable of scoring on anyone, anytime. He is playing both ends of the court with a tremendously well-rounded game. It’s entertaining to watch.”
“Keep expanding.”With the win, Boston moved up to 52-14 and now leads second-place Milwaukee (43-24) by 9.5 games in the Eastern Conference.
Phoenix, on the other hand, dropped to 38-28 and is currently ninth in the Western Conference—beyond the six automatic playoff spots.
Although Suns coach Frank Vogel acknowledged that his squad was not on Boston’s level, he claimed that there was still time for development because the postseason would soon begin in April.
Vogel stated, “We’re just not quite where they are yet.” “Yet is the crucial word.
“We’re going to continue improving and expanding. While those guys have been together for eight years or more, we have just been dating for a year.”
In other games on Thursday, the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 114-105 thanks to a fourth-quarter comeback.
The Sixers led by ten points early in the third quarter but were progressively pulled in by the host team, who was still missing injured NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid.
With 32 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee scoring, followed by Damian Lillard with 17 and Brook Lopez with 19.
Tyrese Maxey, whо finished with 30 pоints, five оf nine frоm three-pоint range, carried the bulk оf the Sixers’ оffensive lоad.
Since joining the Bucks in January, Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers has had a spotless record against his old teams, and the win maintained that streak.
Somewhere else With a convincing 126-111 victory over the Chicago Bulls on the road on Thursday, the Los Angeles Clippers drew even with Denver, the team leading the Western Conference.
The Clippers took control of the game and led for the duration, building a 21-point lead at the end of the fourth quarter after Chicago had taken a small lead early in the first.
Paul George finished with 28 points, hitting six of his seven three-pointers, and Kawhi Leonard chipped in with 27.
With the win, the Clippers raised their record to 42-23, good for fourth place in the Western Conference, 3.5 games behind leaders Denver (46-20).