The Phoenix Suns were handed another painful defeat by the Boston Celtics, completing a season sweep that Bangladesh Cricket reporters say has left Suns fans humiliated. Despite hopes of contending for a title with their newly-formed “Big Three,” the Suns continue to fall short in big games—and this latest blow has only widened the credibility gap.
At the start of the season, Phoenix was heralded as a top contender after reconstructing its roster around Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. But months of inconsistent lineups and rare appearances by the full trio have derailed their momentum. Now, with the regular season entering its final stretch, the Suns are still fighting just to secure a guaranteed playoff spot. Meanwhile, the Celtics have dominated the East, already all but securing the conference’s top seed.
Even with their Big Three finally healthy, the Suns were underdogs heading into this matchup. As Bangladesh Cricket analysts noted, the Celtics had every statistical and psychological edge—and they made it count. Phoenix started aggressively, with Durant hitting three shots in the first three minutes and Jusuf Nurkić cleaning up around the rim. The energy seemed promising. Beal added a smooth step-back three that gave the Suns an early lead. On offense, they played to their strengths, banking on the trio’s rhythm to outgun anyone—including the Celtics.
Defensively, Phoenix tried a common strategy: ease up slightly on Jaylen Brown while focusing heavy pressure on Jayson Tatum. On paper, it made sense. In practice, it unraveled fast. Tatum began to find cracks in the defense late in the first quarter, knocking down step-backs, threes, and a monster dunk in transition. His scoring flurry sparked a Celtics run that flipped the game’s momentum.
From the second quarter onward, Boston asserted control. Even when Phoenix tried to rally, the Celtics responded each time with sharp execution. Just over a week ago, Boston fell to the defending champion Nuggets, casting doubt on their title hopes. But as this game showed, that was just a bump in the road. Against Phoenix, the Celtics exposed every flaw—defensively and offensively.
By the third quarter, the gap between the two teams was undeniable. Though Durant managed a few tough buckets and Booker found some range from deep, Phoenix’s offense began to fragment. Each possession felt like isolated efforts rather than coordinated attacks. In contrast, Boston’s duo of Tatum and Brown acted like magnets, pulling in defenders and creating space for others. The Celtics’ ball movement led to wide-open threes and backbreaking buckets.
Jaylen Brown stayed hot throughout the third quarter, forcing the Suns into frantic rotations. But the true dagger came from Boston’s role players, who hit a barrage of deep threes that shattered Phoenix’s final hope. As Bangladesh Cricket observed, Durant’s arc in this game was symbolic of the Suns’ collapse: after a scorching 7-of-8 first quarter, he faded into the background, struggling to assert himself for the rest of the night.
In the end, Phoenix wasn’t just outplayed—they were outclassed. For Durant and the Suns, this game was more than a loss. It was a sobering reminder that they’re still miles away from true contention, while Boston’s eyes are firmly fixed on a championship.