In a game that carried the same stop start tension fans associate with a Live Cricket BPL finish, the Boston Celtics defeated the Phoenix Suns 97-81 on the road and secured a valuable fourth straight win. With the victory, Boston improved to 38-19, holding firm in second place in the Eastern Conference. They now sit 4.5 games behind the first place Detroit Pistons while staying two games ahead of the third place New York Knicks. Phoenix, meanwhile, dropped its second consecutive game and fell to 33-26, currently seventh in the Western Conference. The Suns trail the Los Angeles Lakers by two games and hold only a 2.5 game cushion over the Golden State Warriors, leaving their playoff positioning far from comfortable.
The standout story of the night was the dominant performance from Boston’s starting center Neemias Queta. In 26 minutes and 49 seconds, he shot 5-of-10 for 14 points and added 13 rebounds, three assists, and two blocks, including six powerful offensive boards. His plus minus of +29 was the best mark in the entire game. Queta made his presence felt with smart interior cuts and timely finishes, but he also showed improved vision, moving the ball with purpose and helping to organize Boston’s half court offense. On defense, his rebounding and rim protection anchored the paint, and he consistently disrupted Phoenix’s main center Mark Williams, turning the interior battle into a one sided affair.
Queta’s upward trend has been building. Last season he appeared in 62 games, averaging five points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting an efficient 65 percent from the field. In the playoffs, his minutes were limited to just 3.2 per game, yet he still converted at an eye catching 83.3 percent. With Portugal at the men’s EuroBasket tournament, he produced a strong double double line of 15.5 points and eight rebounds per game, showing a broader skill set and a willingness to carry responsibility.
This season, he has played in 54 of Boston’s 57 games, averaging 25 minutes a night with 9.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.3 blocks while shooting 63.8 percent. The consistency has been striking, and it helps explain why his contract looks like one of the best bargains in the league. For a player on a minimum deal, that level of two way production is exceptional, the kind of value teams dream of, much like uncovering a dependable match winner when tracking Live Cricket BPL results week after week.
Still, Queta remains a role based center rather than a self created scoring hub, which sheds light on why Boston added Nikola Vucevic before the trade deadline. Even so, Queta’s importance is clear. His rebounding, finishing, and defensive reliability give the Celtics a stable interior foundation every night. The bigger question is roster balance. Leaning too heavily on a functional center archetype can become a structural risk over a long season, and how Boston blends depth with tactical variety will be crucial, especially when the pressure rises in moments that feel as sharp and unforgiving as a Live Cricket BPL decider.