It's just how they did it at the end, and you can't even be mad at the players.

There's a time and place for players to celebrate in the face of a loss, and for the Phoenix Suns, that window was absolutely during Devin Booker's historic performance in Boston.

Booker becomes only the sixth player in National Basketball Association history to score 70, joining Wilt Chamberlain, David Robinson, David Thompson, Elgin Baylor and Kobe Bryant.

Anthony Davis had 33 points and 16 rebounds and Cousins added 29 points for the Pelicans, whose three-game winning streak was snapped.

When Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens is asked about how his team has ascended to a position where it is competing for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference without necessarily boasting the superstar talent that most top teams possess, he often references how relentlessly motivated his players are. Playing against Booker tonight, I mean he went straight to my move the first time he caught it. "I was ultra-aggressive, my teammates started finding me, they started setting really good screens for me and the rest is history".

"When I looked up and saw (his points total) ... it's just impressive". I don't care about being liked. Brown might have benefited from the freedom of a different role, but he is being molded by a proud, talented group of young veterans that are focused on making a deep playoff run. If people don't like us while we build, so what. Do something about it.

"I didn't see it, I just heard it this morning, " Mavs guard J. J. Barea said. "I've never seen anything like that". But it is what it is. I think he took a visit to Kentucky when I was there so we had a little relationship there. He used fouls and timeouts to help Booker pad his numbers late in the game. But it was obvious what they were trying to do. And hats off to him, though. "He played a hell of a game". To be fair to Phoenix coach Earl Watson, his team's goal wasn't to compete.

"It's about letting our kids be great".

That's how you get a team that's this happy after losing by double digits. "Do something. Simple as that".

Isaiah Thomas put up 35 points that game, but he missed a free throw with 11.9 seconds left and then turned the ball over. O'Neal and Bryant arguably could have won several more championships together. The Suns visit Charlotte and the Celtics host Miami on Sunday. We had our times. Let's appreciate that we were all able to witness that! Definitely couldn't have done it without you. Embiid had knee surgery on Friday and is out for the season, while Okafor (knee soreness) is questionable for Sunday at Indiana. The Suns are actively trying to lose games in order to boost their chances of securing a high draft pick in what is widely considered a strong draft lottery class. Phoenix has shut down any veteran player of effect, and has lost nine of its past 10 games. The Celtics had Marcus Smart on Booker most of the fourth, but Smart couldn't stop him.