Suns 79, Celtics 71
Marcin Gortat had his seventh straight double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds to carry the Phoenix Suns to a 79-71 victory over the host Boston Celtics on Friday night.
Steve Nash added 11 points, nine assists and five rebounds as Phoenix won its second straight and sent the Celtics to their sixth loss in seven games.
Playing without point guard Rajon Rondo, who sat out with a wrist injury, Boston posted a season low in points. Ray Allen scored 14 to lead five Celtics in double figures.
Phoenix used a 12-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarters to take control, and the Celtics never got closer than five points the rest of the way.
Boston had opened the third with an 18-4 spurt to erase an 11-point halftime deficit and grab a 53-50 lead on Mickael Pietrus' 3-pointer with just over 3 1/2 minutes left.
Gortat scored 14 consecutive points to help the Suns build a 20-10 lead en route to a 20-15 advantage after one quarter.
Phoenix held a 46-35 edge at halftime, marking the 11th time in 14 games the Celtics have trailed at the break.