BOSTON — The Boston Celtics reached a small milestone in the professional coaching career of Brad Stevens on Friday night.
Boston’s 117-103 waltz past the Phoenix Suns gave the Celtics a 21-19 record and ensured the team will be above .500 at the midpoint of the season for the first time since Stevens left Butler three years ago for the pros.
The Celtics were 14-27 in the first half of Stevens’ first year and 15-26 the first half of last season. They hit the official midpoint of this season when they open a three-game road trip on Saturday night at Washington.
Forward Kelly Olynyk, who came in averaging 9.4 points per game, scored 13 straight points in a 22-4 run that ended the first half and sent the Suns (13-28) to their 13th loss in their last 14 games.
Celtics guard Marcus Smart came off the bench to post the first triple-double of his career with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
Olynyk scored 15 of his 21 points in the second quarter. Guard Isaiah Thomas, traded by Phoenix to Boston last season, had 19 points and five assists.
Guard Avery Bradley had 17 points and seven rebounds for the Celtics, forward Amir Johnson scored 13 points and forward Jared Sullinger had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
With the back-to-back games, Stevens was able to sit Thomas, Crowder and Johnson during the entire fourth quarter.
The Celtics were 14 of 30 from 3-point range against a team that came in 29th in the league in 3-point defense.
Forward Mirza Teletovic came off the bench to lead the Suns with 22 points in 21:12. Guard Brandon Knight scored 16 points, forward TJ Warren had 13 off the bench and forward Markieff Morris, making his first start since Dec. 1, had nine points and nine rebounds.
Phoenix is 1-8 since losing its best player, guard Eric Bledsoe, for the season with a knee injury.
The Celtics, who scored the last 12 points of Wednesday night’s win over the Indiana Pacers, made it 18 straight by taking a 6-0 lead 1:54 into Friday’s game. The Suns came back to make it 16-15, but that was as close as they came.
Boston was up by 11 with 2:02 left in the quarter and by seven after the first. The lead was four with 5 1/2 minutes left in the half before the Celtics spurted and finished the half on the 22-4 run (they had a 22-2 splurge Wednesday).
Olynyk, sent back to the bench in favor of Sullinger for the previous game, scored his first basket with 7:33 left in the half and the Celtics already reeled off a 6-2 spurt before he had his 13-point explosion, which started with three 3-pointers in a 1:28 span.
NOTES: Phoenix G Brandon Knight, who missed Tuesday night’s loss at Indiana with food poisoning, was back and started Friday’s game. … Celtics coach Brad Stevens was pleased to hear Butler, his former employer, established a scholarship in the name of Andrew Smith, the former player who died this week. “It’s obviously a great tribute to him, and at the end of the day I think we all knew that they would do something,” Stevens said. “I think that will be the first of many types of things established for him. But I know how much he loved Butler and I know his wife appreciates that. So that’s a really nice gesture on their part. I’m glad it happened soon. Like, I’m glad it happened really quickly.” … It was last Feb. 19 that the Suns shipped G Isaiah Thomas to Boston after his brief stay in Phoenix. … Boston F Jared Sullinger went to the microphone to deliver a pregame to salute Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. “Without him, none of this is possible,” Sullinger said.
Wizards 118, Pacers 104
INDIANAPOLIS — Guard John Wall had 28 points, seven rebounds and eight assists on Friday night and the Washington Wizards defeated the Indiana Pacers 118-104 in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Guard Bradley Beal added 22 points for the Wizards (19-19), who matched their season scoring high in their fourth consecutive victory.
Indiana (22-18) lost its second in a row and fell to 3-15 in games in which the opponent scores at least 100 points.
Forward Paul George scored 21 points and guard George Hill added 19 for the Pacers.
Guard Ramon Sessions scored a layup off a steal with 7:31 remaining, pushing Washington into a commanding 100-81 advantage. The Wizards led 109-91 with 3:13 to play.
Another Wall field goal gave Washington an 83-67 lead with 3:18 to play in the third quarter. Guard Gary Neal’s 3-pointer with six seconds remaining in the quarter extended the Wizards’ lead to 88-72 through 36 minutes. Washington enjoyed a 46-28 rebounding advantage entering the fourth quarter.
Wall scored 10 points during the first 4:26 of the third quarter, helping the Wizards increase their lead to 73-58, prompting a Pacers timeout.
Washington outscored Indiana 35-19 in the second quarter, making 15 of 24 shots from the field (62.5 percent) in the quarter for a 59-46 halftime lead.
Indiana, despite seven first-quarter turnovers, led 27-24 through 12 minutes, thanks to making 11 of 17 shots from the field (64.7 percent).