Celtics bench plays key role in win over Suns

Although Luke Kornet, Sam Hauser, and Payton Pritchard have all contributed this season, Boston’s strength lies in its starting five. This season, the Celtics bench hasn’t exactly been a game-changer. All five of Boston’s best scorers are included in the starting lineup. However, don’t consider a low score to mean something isn’t important. The Celtics bench has the best net-rating (+3.2/game) of any bench in the league and is ranked in the top 5 for both field goal % and 3-point shooting percentage.It should come as no surprise that Boston’s bench struggled during their two consecutive losses last week. Dean Wade (23 points) outscored the Celtics bench (18 points) on Tuesday night in Cleveland as the Cavaliers came back from a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

The focus was on Boston’s bench on Saturday night as sixth man Al Horford entered the starting lineup in place of Kristaps Porzingis, who was sidelined due to hamstring tightness. The Suns’ reserves are a vulnerability, and the Celtics exploited it in a victory of 117-107.

The Celtics bench outscored the Suns reserves 27-16 despite only fielding three reserves (Sam Hauser, Luke Kornet, and Payton Pritchard). Coach Joe Mazzulla praised the team’s bench after the victory.

Mazzulla exclaimed, “They were tremendous, they were amazing.” “I felt that Payton’s defense altered the game. He and Sam (Hauser) are both regarded to be good offensive players, but I believe that their defense has been our biggest asset this year. Luke’s ability to switch and play against the second unit provided us a really good look. And he was able to set fantastic displays when they went to touch. Although that unit has performed admirably for us all year, they really excelled tonight.

Plays like this have the ability to turn around games against strong teams. After a poor shooting slump to start the year, Pritchard has recovered to make 38.2 percent of his 3-pointers. His defensive exertion and his nose for offensive rebounding are traits opponents aren’t ready for.

This season, Hauser (41.6 percent from 3) is shooting with much more assurance. Xavier Tillman and Kornet, meanwhile, appear to be a good rotating cast that Mazzulla can select from depending on the opponent. On Saturday night, Kornet made a compelling case for himself to be the primary backup center due to his combination of excellent rim protection and frequent ability to dish out lob passes in the paint.Second-unit play won’t win the Celtics a playoff series in the end, but it might help them win a few games. In the event that a frontcourt player is hurt during the postseason, Boston’s backup players appear to be able to hold their own, especially on a difficult road course like Saturday night in Phoenix. That’s positive news for a team with the strongest starting five in the game.

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