Celtics block out Suns 130-120 despite Booker’s 70

The headline (in Phoenix at least) will be Devin Booker’s 70 points in the Garden, but Boston will take the wire-to-wire win 130-120. Isaiah Thomas continued his 35-game streak of leading the Celtics in scoring tonight with 34 points and chipping in 7 assists. With Avery Bradley out sick, Jaylen Brown replaced him in the starting lineup and finished with solid line of 9 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. Al Horford continued his near-triple-double pace in March with 15-10-6.

This is a Celtics team trying to tighten things up with their regular rotation and maybe uncover a few new quirks and x-factors with their roster. Tyler Zeller again found some early playing time, and Gerald Green helped extend the lead off the bench with 15 points, shooting 4 for 4 from behind the arc. Both players could be vital second-unit players depending on matchups in the playoffs. Kelly Olynyk had another solid performance with 13 points and 4 rebounds. Boston finished with 31 assists on 44 made field goals.

With Cleveland and Washington both winning tonight, Boston remains a game behind the Cavaliers and 2.5 ahead of the Wizards.