Mike Budenholzer, Suns 'punched' by Celtics in mortifying 30-point loss

03/28/2025 07:55 PM

As the Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics clashed on Wednesday, the vibes were up. The Suns had a four-game winning streak entering the contest and head coach Mike Budenholzer was amped.

However, the Celtics proved to be too much to handle in Phoenix’s 132-102 loss. The 30-point embarrassment left the fanbase mortified. On the flip side, there was a sea of green within the stands.

Chants of “Let’s Go Celtics” roared through PHX Arena. It left the team a bit disgruntled, and shades of the turmoil from February. Budenholzer himself was straightforward regarding what went wrong.

"We should be able to fall back on the progress we're making. Tonight, we got punched."

Mike Budenholzer didn't hold back when @GeraldBourguet asked regarding the defensive strides and a setback like the 132-102 loss.#SunsUppic.twitter.com/itm2DsimQy

— Hayden Cilley (@HaydenCilley) March 27, 2025

“I think we should be able to fall back a little bit on the progress we’ve been making… tonight, we got punched,” Budenholzer said. “Boston was very good. They executed, and they shot well. We’ve got to find a way to kind of make that less.

“Be better, and get ready, tomorrow will be a travel day. The great thing about the NBA is we got a chance to defend on Friday. We got to be better defensively Friday.”

The Celtics are one of the most complete teams in the league. With a top eight offense and top three defense, there’s a reason why they are favored to walk out of the Eastern Conference.

Even without Jayson Tatum, Boston showed how lethal they are. The ball movement was effortless throughout the game. However, the Suns presented a four-guard lineup in the game that sealed the deal.

The Celtics went on a 31-16 run in the second quarter. That signaled the beginning of the end. Still, Kevin Durant thought that the first few minutes of the game signaled the beginning of the end.

"Sometimes, the team just better than you."

Kevin Durant assessed the Suns loss to @GeraldBourguet and how the Celtics played better.#SunsUppic.twitter.com/k4XCXQeIlQ

— Hayden Cilley (@HaydenCilley) March 27, 2025

“Yeah, I mean, they made the first seven 3s of the game,” Durant said in the locker room. “That kind of just shows what type of team that can be. They had us scrambling. They had us chasing them all night. We got mismatches. So if you switch, we got a small guy on him, you going to have to show him some type of attention and boom, swing, swing.”

Suns’ Mike Budenholzer and Kevin Durant gave Celtics props

As Durant mentioned, the Celtics started off making seven of their first seven threes. Still, their effort was the main problem. The Suns consistently failed their rotations in that first period. Against a team like Boston, that cannot happen.

They have too talented of shooters to leave them uncontested. After Durant detailed the Suns locker room having good vibes, it shifted to more accountability and responsibility for the loss.

Either way, the Suns leading scorer continued to give them their kudos.

“That’s just great ball movement by them,” Durant said. “Like I always say, you have good intentions trying to come to the game, but sometimes a team just beats your scheme.

“The team just shoot over you. So you could just be bigger than you and win the game no matter how hard you play, how much chemistry you have, or what streak you have. Sometimes the team is just better than you.”

Throughout the season and his career, Durant has acknowledged when teams have been better. That’s been unfortunately the case for the Suns. However, a lack of effort and bad defense have been the culprits, with the latter taking place against the Celtics.

The Suns take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. They play them in Minnesota and then head back home to Phoenix for Sunday’s contest against the Houston Rockets.

Then, they will begin a three-game road trip where they will play the Milwaukee Bucks, the Celtics again, and the New York Knicks. That stretch of games will prove if they get into the play-in game.

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