The Boston Celtics defeated the Phoenix Suns, 99-86, at TD Garden on Thursday evening.

The Celtics (32-27) continue to play well and could very well be considered as one of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference -- they boosted their record to 9-2 over their last 11 contests and remain alive in the race for a top-four seed in the East while defeating an underwhelming Suns (42-17) team that looked overmatched on both ends of the court. Boston raced out to a 26-21 lead following the first quarter and boosted that advantage even further, putting up a 27-16 score in the second quarter that gave them an edge the Celtics would never relinquish. Even though the Suns won the third quarter by a 28-24 score, it wasn't enough to even sniff a comeback and were not able to get much closer. The Celtics won the final quarter by a one-point differential (22-21) and didn't have problems securing the victory in front of their fans.

Kemba Walker led the Celtics in scoring and registered 32 points with four rebounds and four assists, while Jayson Tatum chipped in with a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds while also adding six assists and a steal. Marcus Smart had 11 points and seven rebounds, while Tristan Thompson pulled down 12 rebounds while scoring nine points. Payton Pritchard had 10 points off the bench. The Celtics shot 42.9 percent from the field.

Chris Paul carried the Suns with 22 points and eight assists while also adding eight rebounds, and Devin Booker finished with 15 points and four rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter. DeAndre Ayton posted 10 points and nine rebounds, while Mikal Bridges ended with 15 points. The Suns shot 40.9 percent from the field and 17.1 percent from deep.