The Boston Celtics pulled out a statement victory on New Year's Eve as they shellacked the Phoenix Suns, 123-108. Even without Jayson Tatum, the C's managed to beat one of the best teams in the Association, and afterward, Jaylen Brown discussed the Celtics' improvements and how they can build off this win. Via Taylor Snow of the team's website:

“Sometimes it takes some games to learn, grow, work through things, see things differently & that’s how life is. It ain’t always gonna be pretty, but I’m not afraid. I’m not fearful of anyone or even myself. You make mistakes, come back, you learn from them & get better.

“The more we play like we did today – playing through bigs, making the game easy – we start to grow, we start to learn, we start to win. And that’s what Celtics basketball is about.”

While the backcourt of Brown and Marcus Smart both poured in 24 points apiece, the bigs really made an impact here. Boston outrebounded the Suns 51-37 and outscored them by 18 points in the paint. Robert Williams had an absolute day for the Celtics, showcasing a versatile skillset with 10 points, 11 boards, and 10 assists.

As a whole, Ime Udoka's squad showed a lot more chemistry and that's exactly what they've been missing. Considering the Celtics were able to take out last season's NBA finalists without Tatum is certainly a good sign as well. If this victory is any indication, better times are ahead for the C's in 2022, especially when Tatum and Dennis Schroder are healthy again.