Jaylen Brown took over in the fourth quarter, scoring 18 of his 41 points to lead the Boston Celtics to a 120–112 win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.
Jayson Tatum added 21 points in his fifth game back from an Achilles injury, while Derrick White contributed 21 points after being honored as the Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month for February. Payton Pritchard chipped in 19 as Boston closed strong down the stretch.
The Celtics trailed 111–108 with under four minutes remaining before flipping the game with a decisive run. Brown ignited the surge with a steal from Devin Booker that led to a Tatum layup. After a defensive stop, Brown grabbed an offensive rebound off a Tatum miss to give Boston the lead, then followed with two free throws and a short jumper to cap an 8–0 run.
Boston dominated late, scoring 12 of the game’s final 13 points to secure the victory.
Booker led Phoenix with 40 points, while Jalen Green added 21. The Suns have now dropped back-to-back games after previously winning four straight.
Tatum, who missed the Celtics’ first 62 games while recovering from a torn Achilles suffered in last year’s playoffs, continues to ramp up his workload, playing more than 32 minutes in consecutive games since returning.
Up next: The Phoenix Suns visit the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday, while the Boston Celtics host the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.
