Celtics outshine Suns
PHOENIX — Jayson Tatum got the better of Josh Jackson in a showdown of two of the top four picks in last year's NBA draft.
Tatum scored 23 points, Marcus Morris had 20 points in three quarters before leaving with an injury and the Boston Celtics rolled over the Phoenix Suns 102-94 on Monday night.
Tatum surpassed 1,000 points for the season, and Boston won its fourth straight to move to three games behind the Toronto Raptors for first place in the Eastern Conference.
The game featured two young talents who are getting major minutes. Tatum was the third pick in last year's draft, and Jackson, the fourth pick, led the Suns with 23 points. Jackson has scored 15 or more points in seven straight games, but the Suns lost their 12th straight and have dropped 27 of 29.
"I've known Josh for a long time," Tatum said. "It's always fun to compete. When you get more opportunities and you've got somebody that can play, they're going to show what they can do."
Morris, a former Sun, re-injured a sprained right ankle that forced him out of the Celtics' game Sunday at Sacramento. He didn't play in the fourth quarter.
Al Horford added 19 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Celtics.
"In my eyes, he's the rookie of the year," Horford said of Tatum.
Tyler Ulis added a season-high 19 points for Phoenix.
The Celtics were without star guard Kyrie Irving, who had knee surgery Saturday. The Suns were without their star guard, Devin Booker, who missed his fifth straight game with a hand injury.
Tatum scored nine of the Celtics' first 11 points, while Jackson had all of the first 11 for the Suns. The Celtics made 5 of 7 3-pointers in the first quarter and led 31-15 when it ended. AP