‘They won us the game’: Celtics’ bench earns credit from Jaylen Brown, Joe Mazzulla for effort in win over Suns

The Celtics' bench stepped up on both ends of the court after a lackluster performance against the Nuggets.

Sam Hauser made some notable defensive plays in the Celtics' win over the Suns. Chris Coduto/Getty Images

March 10, 2024

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The Celtics were in lockstep with the Suns for much of the first quarter Saturday, but they took control once the bench was fully acclimated into the game.

Playing an eight-man rotation, the Celtics’ three bench players each made a play in three consecutive possessions late in the first quarter that helped take control of the game in their 117-107 win.

Just seconds after entering the game, Payton Pritchard hit a layup in transition that tied the game up. Sam Hauser blocked a runner from Eric Gordon on the ensuing possession. Luke Kornet gathered an offensive rebound off a Jayson Tatum miss and got an easy putback to put the Celtics up, 26-24.

That helped set the tone for the rest of the game as Boston didn’t relinquish the lead from that point. Kornet had his second-best scoring output of the season (14 points) and Pritchard added 10 points as each of the Celtics’ bench players led Saturday’s game in plus/minus.

Celtics star Jaylen Brown pointed to the trio as the difference maker.

“They won us the game tonight,” Brown told reporters. “Payton, Luke, Sam, their energy, their plays, their effort. They’re the reason why we probably won the game tonight. It’s tough, but they’re always ready. So shout out to those guys.”

Saturday’s performance from the bench followed a rough outing from the unit in their loss to the Nuggets on Thursday. The four-man unit in that game (which included Al Horford and Xavier Tillman instead of Kornet), combined for just 10 points. More importantly, the Celtics were outscored when each of them was on the floor with Tillman (-12), Horford (-10), and Hauser (-8) posting the three worst plus/minuses in Thursday’s game.

Arguably the most impressive thing the bench did was hold their own on the defensive end. Kornet helped serve as Boston’s defensive anchor on Saturday, posting an impressive 102.6 defensive rating. Pritchard had a 100 defensive rating as he was part of the effort that caused the Suns’ backcourt to score just 34 points on 13 of 34 shooting. Hauser posted an astonishing 83.8 defensive rating on Saturday (for reference, Rudy Gobert has a league-leading 104 defensive rating this season) as his switchability played a role in the win.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla pointed at the effort and hustle plays the bench unit made as a catalyst for the win.

“They were amazing, they were tremendous,” Mazzulla said. “I thought Payton changed the game with his defense. Him and Sam both are known for offensive guys, but I think it’s been their defense that really helped us this year. And Luke’s ability to play against a second unit and switching really gave us a great look, and when they went to touch he was able to set great screens.

“So that unit has been great for us all year, but tonight they were big time.”

Horford, who typically plays off the bench but started for an injured Kristaps Porzingis on Saturday, was also impressed with the unit.

“I really liked how Sam and Luke and Payton came in and just kind of changed the game for us in the first quarter and second quarter,” Horford said. “Just the energy that we had, I felt like we were much better.”

The strong defensive effort from the trio came at a good time. Tatum’s shooting struggles continued in the first half of Saturday’s game, shooting just 2 of 9 from the field, but the Suns scored just 50 points before the break. Tatum eventually helped the Celtics pull away for good, scoring 11 fourth-quarter points.

The bench’s play also helped end a two-game losing skid that began their five-game road trip, which featured a pair of close losses to the Cavaliers and Nuggets.

“I just think that we were locked in and understood that we had to come out and win this game,” Horford said of the team’s all-around play. “But it was like a good edge. It wasn’t tightness.”