Recap: Cardiac Kemba Puts on Master Class, Leads Celtics Past Suns 99-86
AP Photo | Elise Amendola
Kemba Walker led the short-handed Celtics past the Phoenix Suns, 99-86. The Suns hold the second-best record in the NBA and Walker was able to nearly single-handedly will the Celtics to a victory.
Walker was far and away the best player on the floor tonight. He poured on 32 points and was the go-to scorer on offense for the Celtics. The most impressive part of his night, however, was that he did all this on ridiculously efficient shooting. He ended the game shooting 11-17 from the field and 5-11 from deep.
His stellar night made up for another dud from Jayson Tatum. Tatum finished the game with 15 and shot 3-17 from the field. This is the second game in a row that Tatum has shot below 20% from the field.
With Jaylen Brown, Evan Fournier, and Robert Williams all out, Boston’s role players stepped up. Payton Pritchard had ten points and Tristan Thompson dominated the glass, grabbing 12 rebounds. His physicality was a huge spark for the C’s in this one.
For Phoenix, it was Chris Paul who led the way. Paul dropped 22 points which helped make up for Devin Booker’s struggles. Booker ended the night with 15 points on 6-13 shooting and fouled out with just under five minutes left in the game. Walker drew a charge to end his night and was a menace all night long in that department. The Suns were dreadful from behind the arc, shooting 6-35 from that distance as a team.
The Celtics had a couple of stretches where turnovers started to get the better of them, but they always managed to reel it in with some help from Walker. He was the steady hand that guided the C’s to a victory in this one. This was one of the best games of his season and it was much-needed tonight as the Celtics were severely short-handed.
After a clutch win, Boston now faces night two of a back-to-back against Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets. That game tips off at 7:30 p.m. (EST) on ESPN.
