Jaylen Brown had 41 points, seven rebounds and six assists to lead the Boston Celtics to a 120-112 victory over the visiting Phoenix Suns on Monday night.
Brown was a career-best 19 of 21 from the free throw line. The Celtics received 21 points from both Jayson Tatum and Derrick White, while Payton Pritchard added 19. White and Pritchard each made five 3-point field goals.
The Suns had a 110-106 lead with 4:46 to play, but didn’t make another field goal. Brown’s jumper capped an 8-0 run that gave Boston a 116-111 lead with one minute to play.
Boston shot 17 of 40 from 3-point territory.
Devin Booker led Phoenix with 40 points. Jalen Green added 21.
Phoenix scored the game’s first eight points, but a 10-0 run handed Boston a 23-20 lead. The Suns made 6 of 12 3-point attempts in the opening quarter and led 32-31 entering the second.
The Celtics scored the first nine points in the second quarter to go up 40-32, and had a 65-61 halftime lead. Boston made five straight 3-point attempts in the second quarter.
Brown, White and Booker each had 19 points in the first half.
An 8-0 run gave the Celtics a 78-69 advantage with 8:51 left in the third quarter. Phoenix trimmed its deficit to two, but Pritchard capped the third-quarter scoring with a 3-pointer that gave Boston a 91-86 lead entering the fourth. Booker had 35 points through three quarters.
Another Pritchard 3-pointer extended Boston’s lead to 96-86 with 10:19 left, but Phoenix was within 102-101 following a Haywood Highsmith 3-pointer with 6:54 to play.
The Suns went in front 105-104 on an Oso Ighodaro dunk and stretched their lead to 110-106 on a Jordan Goodwin 3-pointer with 4:46 left, but Boston regained the lead on a Brown putback that made it 112-111 with 2:30 remaining.
