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The Boston Celtics were dead Thursday night in the desert, but the Phoenix Suns have forgotten to bury the body.
Phoenix quickly took a 22-point lead and held a double-digit advantage for most of the match. But Kyrie Irving exploded in the fourth quarter to bring Boston to hand, and Marcus Morris splashed a pointer 3 seconds from the end of the game.
With the lead cleared, everything was in overtime in Boston, as the Celtics outshot the Suns 16-9 in overtime to win the 116-109 win.
Irving led the Celtics with a record 39 points, while Marcus Morris (17), Jaylen Brown (17) and Terry Rozier (10) also scored double digits.
With this win, the Celtics improve to 7-4, while the Suns fall to 2-9.
Here is how it all happened:
FROM FIVE
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Jaylen Brown
F: Jayson Tatum
F: Gordon Hayward
C: Al Horford
START SLOPPY
Phoenix quickly took the lead thanks to Boston's mistakes. After Irving opened the match with a 3-pointer, the Celtics missed their next nine shots, including three layups and two wide open, and returned the ball three times to fall into an 11-3 hole.
Boston's scoreless drought lasted nearly seven minutes, while Aron Baynes scored 10 minutes from the first cut, leaving 10 minutes in advance for the Suns. -8 run to take a 32-13 in the second quarter.
The Celtics shot 18.2% of the field in the stanza while Phoenix hit 59.1% of its shots.
T.J. Warren dominated the Celtics in the first quarter, scoring 14 points, while Irving led Boston with six points.
We can not go
After suffering serious difficulties in the first quarter, the Celtics attack was still unable to be restarted in the second quarter. Marcus Smart scored five points early to open the frame, but the Suns bench was able to do enough offense to maintain the 36-20 lead with seven minutes remaining.
A mini-round by Irving and Morris reduced the lead to 15 with two players to play, but the Suns once again beat the pace, finishing the stanza 5-0 to end the half by 55-35.
Irving was the only Boston starter to score in the first half, totaling 13 points. Warren (19), Devin Booker (10) and Deandre Ayton (10) carried the charge to the offensive for Phoenix.
BOSTON FINDS A HEART
The Celtics came out of the locker room with some life, slashing the lead to 16 with a quick 8-2.
The advance remained at 15 points or more until the five-minute mark when Irving managed to score three consecutive points to reduce the lead to 11. The Suns quickly responded, while Booker has amassed six quick points to fend off the Phoenix advantage at 17 to 75-58. The two teams traded compartments for the remainder of the quarter, with the Suns taking a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter.
Warren led Phoenix with 23 points, while Irving beat Boston with 21.
CELTICS DO NOT SAY DIE
Phoenix resisted Boston's first run in the fourth quarter, but the Suns were unable to finish Boston as planned.
Irving drilled a 3-pointer to reduce the lead to nine and then hit two free throws to make it 94-87 with 2:30 to go. After missing a Trevor Ariza 3-pointer, Brown got the ball in transition and finished at the rim to reduce it to five.
On the possession of Suns that ensued, Booker finished a year and 1 to bring the score to eight.
Boston is not dead, however, since Irving drilled another 3-pointer to reduce the lead to three with 30 seconds to go. Irving then stripped Booker of the ensuing possession and found Brown for a layup that would reduce it to 7.3 seconds.
After two free throws from Warren pushed the lead to three, Morris tied a triple with 0.3 seconds left to extend the run.
DUEL IN THE DESERT
Overtime was only for Booker and Irving.
The two stars exchanged their haymists to open extra time, the match being tied at 109 at the halftime of the overtime. The rest of the OT players belonged to Boston. Brown made a triple and Morris scored twice to take a five-point lead. The Celtics would move away to win by seven.
GAME PLAY
Here's how you spell clutch: M-O-R-R-I-S.
FOLLOWING
The Celtics will be back on the court Friday night when they face Utah Jazz. The departure of Vivint Smart Home Arena is set at 21:30. AND.
Photo thumbnail via Jennifer Stewart / USA TODAY Sports Images
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