It takes awhile for Suns to set down Celtics

PHOENIX -- Paul Pierce said "there are no moral victories," but when you've won just 13 games and battled a Phoenix Suns team with the second-best record in the NBA (41-13) tooth and nail on the road, a moral victory for a team heading toward the draft lottery is better than none at all.

The Celtics, 118-108 losers to the Suns last night in the second game of a five-game Western trip, certainly suffered from young team syndrome -- though they proved they belonged on the same court as the Suns, they're nowhere near the point where they can finish off such a team. As well as Al Jefferson (23 points, 17 rebounds), who posted his 26th double-double, Paul Pierce (24 points, after 7 in the first half), and Ryan Gomes (21 points) played, the Suns would not be denied.

"We played a team that's better than us," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "Having said that, we had opportunities. We had some great shots, great looks, but they didn't go in. Against this team, you have to make those.

"Before the game we told them they're going to get some threes, but we wanted to dictate the threes that they had. I thought we did a pretty good job of that. The ones they did take -- Raja Bell and [Leonardo] Barbosa made big shots in that stretch. It was disheartening, but we just kept fighting."

Rivers warned his players about the Suns' 3-point prowess. It wasn't that the Celtics were going to shut the Suns down (Phoenix went 11 for 22 from the arc), but they were hoping to shut them down when it counted most.

But there were big shots at big times by the Suns -- Barbosa's 3-pointer giving his team an 8-point lead (95-87) with 8:11 remaining, Shawn Marion with a three with 7:39 left, and Barbosa again with 3:41 remaining to give the Suns a 10-point lead that seemed to seal the outcome.

Yet it was a 3-point game (98-95) as late as with 6:29 remaining, when Delonte West scored on a layup after a Sebastian Telfair steal. But there was no defense for the clutch threes.

"We covered those threes and they just made them," said Rivers. "If you're going to lose the game with guys taking threes, then you tip your cap to them."

The Celtics knew they had to collapse on Amare Stoudemire to stop him, while also trying to protect against the 3-pointers. But Stoudemire finished with 32 points, 18 in the first half, as Jefferson had his hands full all night.

"He's hard to guard," Jefferson said. "He's big and small at the same time. It was difficult for me, but I got a lot of experience against a guy like that."

"In the second half, I thought [Jefferson] was more aggressive," Rivers said. "He made Stoudemire work. I thought Al in the first half respected him a little too much. Stayed back instead of attacking right away."

The Suns' halftime lead (57-46) wasn't as comfy as they had hoped, as the Celtics battled them hard until Phoenix pulled away at the end of the second quarter. It was 44-44 with 4:25 to go before the break, after Bell and Gerald Green traded threes. Unfortunately for the Celtics, Green's basket was basically their last hurrah for the half.

They were outscored, 13-2, the rest of the way as Stoudemire, Steve Nash (14 points, 13 assists), and Marion took over to give the Suns their 11-point lead. The Suns outshot the Celtics for the half, 47.8 percent to 37.8 percent, and outscored them, 30-16, in the paint.

The Celtics got off to a quick start, building an 18-8 lead with 6:05 remaining in the first quarter. But Nash got the Suns' offense going, as Phoenix used a 16-6 run at the end of the quarter to build a 30-26 lead.

"It was impressive to watch them up close," said Rivers. "They're an excellent team. Nash is a great player."