Celtics lose Aron Baynes, then game to bottom-dwelling Phoenix Suns
Devin Booker and top pick DeAndre Ayton took advantage of a team short on the inside.
BOSTON — Devin Booker had 25 points and eight assists, and DeAndre Ayton added 23 points and 18 rebounds to lead the suddenly resurgent Phoenix Suns past the Celtics 111-103 on Wednesday night.
“The better team won,” coach Brad Stevens said.
It was the fourth consecutive victory for the Suns since opening the season 4-24. Phoenix has its first four-game winning streak since March 2015. T.J. Warren scored 21 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 13 for the Suns.
Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with 29 points and Jayson Tatum had 18. The Celtics lost their second straight after winning eight in a row, and may have lost far more when center Aron Baynes broke a bone in his left hand not even two minutes into the game. The team — entering a stretch where they’ll play every other day for the next 36 days — announced that he’ll be sidelined indefinitely.
Baynes blocked Ayton’s pass and shook his hand in visible pain before heading to the locker room during a stoppage in play. The team announced the break before halftime.
Al Horford missed his sixth straight game with a sore left knee, but Stevens said he’s “feeling better, getting better. Reassess pretty much every day.” Marcus Morris was also out, with a sore right knee.
The Suns led by six entering the final quarter and pushed it to 92-80 on Jamal Crawford’s 3-pointer from the top of the arc with just under 10 minutes to play.
They led 97-84 before Boston sliced it to five on Marcus Smart’s 3 with 1:49 to go. Warren was fouled by Smart taking a 3 on the ensuing possession and made all three free throws.
After a 3 by Irving, Oubre nailed a 3-pointer on the other end to help the Suns hold on.
Smart’s 3 at the second-quarter buzzer gave the Celtics a 62-59 halftime lead.
Boston grabbed an 11-point lead early in the first only to see the Suns come charging back with a 25-7 run over a 6½-minute stretch in the second.
