The Boston Celtics, favorites to win the ring this season, are the first NBA team to qualify for the playoffs. Those from Massachusetts, who have not won the title since 2008, surpassed the Phoenix Suns (127-112) with a recital from the triple, as they scored 25 of the 50 they shot.
The Celtics have the best record in the league, with 52 wins and 14 losses. Their success is based, above all, at home, where Joe Mazulla's team has won 30 of the 33 games they have played, numbers that have not been seen at the TD Garden since the time of Larry Bird.
The dominance of those from Massachusetts is so overwhelming that they have a 16-game advantage over the seventh, the Sixers, who mark first place in the play-in. In the Western Conference, the Thunder, who lead the table, have accumulated six fewer wins than the Celtics, data that highlights the excellent season that Mazulla's team are having.
In the game against the Suns, Boston overwhelmed Arizona through the three-point shot, with 50% accuracy from the perimeter. Between Jaylen Brown (5/9 from the triple and 37 points), Jayson Tatum (4/8 in three-pointers and 26 points) and Al Horford (6/10 from the perimeter and 24 points) they scored 15 of the 27 triples they They tried between the three of them.
The 37-year-old Dominican also became the oldest NBA player to achieve five triples and three steals in a game. The Suns held off the downpour until halftime, with a score of 65-60. After going through the locker room, the Celtics scored a 37-25 run, which sealed the match and their qualification for the playoffs.
Despite the loss, four players surpassed the 20-point barrier in Phoenix. Booker, who was returning from injury, had 23 points and 7 assists, Bradley Beal scored 22, and Durant and Grayson Allen reached 20. However, Frank Vogel's team was unsuccessful from the three-point line, with only 11 three-pointers scored of the 35 who tried.
The Suns, unlike the Celtics, are not guaranteed a ticket to the playoffs. Those from Arizona are seventh, half a game behind the Kings, sixth. The Phoenix, in this last month of the regular season, will try to avoid going through a play-in that is expected to be exciting in the West.
