Garnett was taken out of the starting lineup after being kicked in his surgically repaired knee Monday night against the Clippers and then laboring Tuesday night against Golden State. That left the Celtics with a hardly imposing lineup against the streaking Suns, and Phoenix had 100 points by the eight-minute mark of the fourth quarter.
Rivers scowled at the injury excuse and still appeared angry over the last-minute losses to the Clippers and Warriors on what turned into a terrible trip.
“I expected to win,’’ he said. “I think we play everybody. As long as you do, you have to come in with the expectation to win. I didn’t like the way we started the first six minutes of the game. I thought we didn’t have that [winning] thought in our mind.’’
The Suns’ Amar’e Stoudemire scored 26 points, 18 in the first quarter. But the difference was Channing Frye, who poured in 26 points and hit six 3-pointers. Seemingly every time the Celtics got within single digits, Frye would drain a trey. And without Garnett, the Celtics were handicapped defensively.
Phoenix shot 50.6 percent and consistently broke down Boston’s timid defense for easy baskets.
“We just didn’t talk out there,’’ forward Tony Allen said. “We saw everything that coach [Tom] Thibodeau showed us. We didn’t talk . . . We missed guys, but we are still supposed to go out there and do our defensive assignments.’’
Celtics center Kendrick Perkins picked up his 10th technical by barking at official Zach Zarba, and it was a frustrating night for the big man. The Celtics had just cut the deficit to 48-39 and Perkins’s technical changed the momentum. Afterward, arena security was called to prevent Perkins and other Celtics from approaching Zarba. Issues with officials have become a common occurrence lately for Boston.
Steve Nash hit the technical free throw and then followed with an 8-footer and the Celtics never would get closer than 9.
It was Perkins’s second technical of the road trip, and Rivers is unhappy with the maturity level of his center.
“He’s just got to get better,’’ the coach said. “He’s got to grow up.’’
