5 takeaways from Phoenix Suns' New Year's Eve flop to Boston Celtics

BOSTON — This one got out of hand way before the final horn.

The Suns trailed by as many as 30 points in the first half of Friday's 123-108 loss to the Celtics on New Year's Eve before a sellout crowd of 19,156 at TD Garden.

Without bigs Deandre Ayton and JaVale McGee, along with Jae Crowder, Abdel Nader (knee) and head coach Monty Williams, all of whom are in the NBA's health and safety protocols, Phoenix gave up 64 points in the paint and were outrebounded, 51-37.

The Celtics (17-19) have Jayson Tatum and Dennis Schroder in protocols as well as Bruno Fernando, Enes Freedom and Aaron Nesmith, but bounced back from a 91-82 loss Wednesday to the Clippers on a historically bad shooting night from 3 to torch the Suns from deep in the first half, snapping at three-game losing streak.

Boston shot 9-of-17 on 3s in the first half after going 4-of-42 versus Los Angeles for the second-worst shooting performance in NBA history with at least 40 attempts from deep.

Jalen Smith came ready to play for Phoenix as he scored 19 in his second career start.

The same can't be said for some of his teammates.

Here are five takeaways from Friday's loss. Phoenix (27-8) has lost three of its last four games going into Sunday's rematch at Charlotte.

The Suns beat the Hornets by 31 earlier this month in Phoenix. With Ayton, McGee, Crowder and Nader out, the Suns have already signed three players to 10-day hardship deals and are looking to add 2017 first round pick Justin Jackson on a 10-day.

Teams can sign a replacement player for each roster player that tests positive for COVID-19 through Jan. 19. They are required to sign one replacement player if there are two confirmed positive COVID-19 cases, two players if there are three positive cases, and three players if there are four or more positive cases.

1. Devin Booker and Chris Paul both needed to have big games.

They didn't, especially when the game was still a game.

Booker shot 3-of-13 in the first half and finished 7-of-26 from the field for 22 points.

He got to the line (7-of-7 on free throws), but didn't have a rhythm and wasn't playing with that usual pop and edge.

Paul struggled as well in going 6-of-15 (1-of-6 in first half).

He missed his first four 3-point attempts before connecting on one in the fourth.

Paul didn't seem fully into it, either. On one play, he left his man, Romeo Langford, to try to peel back to help on Robert Williams. So Williams just turned and found Langford for an easy one inside.

Paul even acknowledged the play. After the game, Paul said he needs to be more aggressive and show more leadership.

The 17-year veteran even got a text from his son on what he needs to do better.

Booker and Paul were on the floor at the end of the game as Paul scored 12 points in the fourth on 5-of-6 shooting. They showed some competitive effort, but Phoenix needed much more of that from them at the start.

2. The Suns weren't on a string defensively.

Looked like the Golden State game when the Suns were giving up cuts to the rim for layups early in that Christmas loss. Smith just isn't seasoned or strong enough right now to consistently contest drives at the rim.

A blocked shot looks good, but what Ayton and McGee do is force tough layups.

Smith isn't there yet. However, guys still have to be able to get to the rim. So Phoenix's perimeter defense wasn't on point, either.

Boston went from being unable to make a 3 against the Clippers to making it rain on Phoenix in the first half.

It happens. The Suns protect the paint and defend outward, but when you're getting gutted on the inside, it's going to be even more difficult to defend the three.

3. Phoenix gave up 62 points in the paint to Memphis and 50 to Oklahoma City without Ayton.

So what happened Friday without Ayton and McGee?

The Celtics scored 64 points in the paint.

Hard to win when giving up that many interior points.

Couple that with how Boston shot from 3 early and Phoenix not matching the physicality, that's a recipe for defeat.

There was a moment in the game when Phoenix cut the 30-point lead to 13 in the third on a Mikal Bridges 3. Boston answered with three inside buckets from Marcus Smart, Robert Williams and Grant Williams to push lead back up to 19.

Timeout Phoenix with 5:10 left in the third.

Game basically over.

Then in the fourth when the Suns got within 11, Grant Williams muscled around Cameron Payne for a layup.

Timeout Phoenix with 56.9 seconds left in the fourth.

Game over.

4. Jalen Smith started 4-of-4 as the only Suns player who began the game fast.

He finished with 19 points and seven rebounds, but committed five fouls and is learning there is a level of physicality he must reach to consistently compete at this level.

Still, he came to play early when the other four starters didn't.

However, this game showed just how important Ayton and McGee are.

The 3-ball is driving the league, but size still matters in the NBA.

Bigs screen, protect the paint and score inside.

Smith can score, but he's not a great screener and guys are able to finish around him.

What's crazy about this situation is if Frank Kaminsky was available, Phoenix would be good.

Phoenix would have another big to share minutes with Smith and wouldn't have to use Ish Wainright, a 6-6 forward, at the five.

Kaminsky can definitely score, will battle on the boards and plays hard. He came up big when Ayton was out.

The 7-footer has missed 22 games in a row, but seems closer to returning.

The Suns could certainly use him right now.

5. Wondering what it'll take for those Suns in protocols to return.

Two negatives taken 24 hours apart or two tests with a CT count of 30 or more taken on days 4 and 5 after infection.

A high CT count indicates the person is no longer contagious.

When looking at the Suns, Crowder went into protocols on Sunday, Ayton on Monday and McGee on Thursday.

None of them made the trip to Boston, along with Nader and Williams.

How they navigate this moving forward will determine when the guys return.

You can have 10-day guys, but they don't know the system and are temporary. The whole league is going through this.

So the Suns aren't in this alone. Probably feels like it right now, but they're not.

Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 5 takeaways from Phoenix Suns' drubbing at hands of Boston Celtics