Jayson Tatum Points Tonight: How influential was MVP candidate in Celtics win over Suns? (March 14)
Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics overwhelmingly beat the Phoenix Suns at home on Thursday night. The victory extended their win streak to four. Despite Jaylen Brown taking over a big chunk of the offensive load for Boston, Tatum proved why he's a deserving MVP candidate this season.
Tatum put up an all-around performance with 26 points, five rebounds and five assists. He was coming off a 38-point outing on Tuesday against the Utah Jazz. The Celtics seem to be in good hands heading into the 2024 NBA Playoffs, with "JT" consistently putting up huge figures.
Here's Tatum's full stat line from the victory over the Suns:
Celtics vs Suns recap: Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown lead Boston to victory at home
Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics annihilated the Phoenix Suns 127-112 on Thursday.
Jaylen Brown took over the game with 37 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. His scoring efforts overwhelmed the Suns despite Phoenix having five players in double-scoring figures.
Devin Booker led the Suns in scoring with 23 points, seven assists and a couple of rebounds. Bradley Beal added 22 points, seven assists, two rebounds, one steal and a block. Kevin Durant and Grayson Allen scored 20 points each.
Despite not having Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford stepped up and played center for the Celtics. Jusuf Nurkic, though, outmatched Horford inside the paint, as the Suns big man secured 20 rebounds.
However, Horford produced an efficient 24-point outing. The Celtics big man knocked down 60% of his shots from beyond the arc and 57.1% overall.
Derrick White and Jrue Holiday nearly notched up double-double performances. White had 13 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block, while Holiday put up nine points, 10 assists, two steals and two blocks.
The Celtics had eight more steals and a couple more blocks compared to the Suns. In terms of shooting efficiency, Boston shot the ball well, averaging over 50% both beyond the arc and overall.
Meanwhile, Phoenix shot under 50% all-around, but the Suns' lack of defense and accuracy eventually proved to be their undoing.