Thomas guides Celtics past his former team

PHOENIX — Four days after being traded from the Phoenix Suns, new Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas woke up in his own bed Monday in Arizona, drove his own car to US Airways Center and capped off one of the strangest days of his career with a dagger to the heart of his former teammates.

With a 20-point Boston lead down to one, Thomas saved his new team and burned his old friends with a huge four-point play. He wound up scoring six of his 21 points in the final 1:37 as the Celtics held on to beat the Phoenix Suns 115-110.

“I just love the big moment. I want to be the hero,” said Thomas, who added seven assists. “I was just trying to win the game. There are no hard feelings between me and the Phoenix Suns. My closest friends are on that team. But when I get on the court, I don’t have any friends.”

The Suns trailed by 20 in the third quarter and by 12 with 11 minutes to play before grinding down the deficit down to 101-100 on the second of two consecutive Eric Bledsoe 3-pointers with 1:47 left.

Thomas spoiled the comeback with a 25-foot 3-pointer as he was being fouled by new Suns guard Brandon Knight, and he finished off the four-point play to restore the Celtics’ lead to 105-100.

On the next Phoenix possession, Thomas stole a Bledsoe pass and finished with a reverse layup with 40.4 seconds left to allow Boston (21-33) to salvage the final game of a three-game road trip. Center Brandon Bass had 18 points for the Celtics, who sank a season-high 14 3-pointers — four by forward Jae Crowder (12 points) and three apiece by Thomas and guard Avery Bradley (game-high 23 points).

“Isaiah is just Isaiah. He makes big plays. He lives for games like this,” said Bradley, who scored 14 points in the first quarter. “He has confidence in himself, and he’s going to be big for his team. He makes it easier not just for me but for all of us.”

Bledsoe finished with 21 points and 10 assists for the Suns, who lost for the eighth time in nine games and for the third time in a row since trading away five players, including Thomas and guard Goran Dragic, on Feb. 19. Knight had 20 points in his Phoenix home debut, but the backcourt duo also committed 10 of the team’s 17 turnovers, which were turned into 25 Boston points.

“We got it to one point, and (Thomas) made the shot and they called a foul,” Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. “He was 6-for-16 (shooting), but he made the one that was really the game-winner. But we just shoot ourselves in the foot too much; we do some crazy things out there at inopportune times.”

The Suns (29-28) allowed an average of 116.7 points over the previous three games, and they dug themselves another deep hole as Boston — a team that hadn’t made more than 13 3-pointers in a game this season — made 10 of 15 tries in the first half and led by as many as 19 points in a 67-point first half.

“Slow starts have been our story all season, so I don’t know if we can change it,” said Phoenix forward P.J. Tucker, who had 13 points and 12 rebounds. “You fight back so hard, and it takes a lot out of you and it’s hard to turn the corner.”

Thomas faced double-teams in the first half but passed out when his shot wasn’t falling.

“I expected that because they probably thought I was going to try to go off on them, which I was trying to,” he said. “But I tried to score when it was there and find the open man when it wasn’t.”

Thomas knew from experience that his former teammates would come hard in the second half.

“At halftime, I told our group that with their style of play they are always in the game,” he said. “We had a big lead, but they made a run to get back in it. Then Bled made two big shots. But we kept our composure, executed down the stretch and got the win.

“It was a weird day and I’m glad it’s over and I can move on and don’t have to come back to Phoenix for the rest of this season.”

NOTES: G Brandon Knight didn’t need long to show Suns coach Jeff Hornacek he was ready to start, getting the nod over Gerald Green on Monday. “He seemed to fit right in,” Hornacek said. “He picked up the stuff and gave us the confidence to say ‘Yeah, we can start him right away.'” … G Isaiah Thomas wants to start in Boston — he came off the bench for a second game — and wanted to start in Phoenix but said he didn’t make waves about his situation. “It is like a bad thing if you tell someone you want to start? I don’t get that,” said Thomas, who was ejected in his Celtics debut Sunday. … Suns F P.J. Tucker averaged 16 points and 7.3 rebounds in his previous three games. … Boston F/C Kelly Olynyk missed his 13th consecutive game due to a right ankle sprain. He will give it a more rigorous test when the Celtics return home this week.