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While Boston Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 56 points, Kevin Durant poured in a game-high 45 for the Phoenix Suns. Durant’s efforts weren’t enough, however, as the Celtics snapped a two-game losing streak in a 117-107 win over the Suns on Saturday, March 9.
While Durant made plenty of noise on the court, he also had plenty of praise for the league-leading Celtics. The 14-time NBA All-Star explained what makes the Celtics so good after saying Boston has “the best starting five in the league by far.”
Kevin Durant Heaps Praise On the Boston Celtics
The Celtics, owners of an NBA-Best record at 49-14, snapped a two-game losing streak, but it wasn’t easy with Durant picking up more than his share of slack with All-Star guard Devin Booker out of action.
Durant hit 18 of his 26 shots from the floor for his season-high 45 points, but Boston’s well-rounded squad was too much for Phoenix to overcome.
On Friday, Durant made an emphatic statement by saying the Celtics boast “the best starting five in the league so far.”
While the Celtics starters were solid against the Suns, they got plenty of help off the bench with center Kristaps Porzingis out with a hamstring injury. Luke Kornet scored 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting. He also pulled down six rebounds in his 20 minutes of work. Payton Pritchard added 10 points, making two of his four 3-pointers.
Durant praised Boston’s all-around game.
“They made big plays coming out of each timeout,” Durant told reporters after the game. “They made threes, got fouled when we tried to close the gap. You’ve got to give them credit.”
Durant said those threes were the difference, especially Al Horford’s one with 1:54 left that put Boston up 110-102. Boston went 15-for-39 from long range, while the Suns made nine of the 31 3-point attempts.
“Horford made a three in the corner, and that’s always a back-breaker,” Durant said. “I think it was a miscommunication or a switch. We had to help, and they swung, swung, and that’s what this team can do to you.
“Thirty-nine threes. They get up 40 to 50 threes a night. They stay home a lot on threes as well, so you’ve got to figure out where your shot’s going to come from if you can’t just catch and shoot. They got a solid strategy over there. They might be playing a bad game early on but over the course of the game, it’ll come back around for them. That’s what happened.”
Durant Knew He Had To Step Up In Booker’s Absence
Not only did Durant lead all scorers, but he also pulled down 10 rebounds and dished out six assists. He knew with Booker out, he and the Suns would have to step up their game against a talented and hungry Celtics team.
“We all gotta do what’s necessary,” Durant said. “Each game may be different, especially if one of our is out. Gotta be prepared for any role we may step into.
“I just try to tackle those challenges as best as I can, and I was able to make some shots tonight.”
The Celtics get back into action on Monday against the Portland Trail Blazers.
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