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The Boston Celtics made a statement Wednesday night.

The Eastern Conference-leading Celtics traveled to Phoenix to take on the Western Conference-leading Suns and absolutely dominated right out of the gate and pulled out a huge 125-98 win. To make matters even better for the Celtics, they were this dominant even shorthanded.

Boston received some mixed news Wednesday afternoon that Malcolm Brogdon would be returning from the lineup, but the Celtics would be without the services of big man Al Horford who was placed in the NBA's Health and Safety Protocols. 

The Celtics entered the showdown down two starters with Horford out and center Robert Williams still yet to make his season debut, and played arguably their most complete game of the season against a very strong Suns team.

After the game, Celtics star Jayson Tatum opened up the team's mentality after a big win like Wednesday's.

"I don't know about angry, but the last two years they kicked our (explicit) the last two times we were here," Tatum said as seen on NBC Sports Boston. "We remembered that and it was fresh in our minds and wanted to have a different outcome. Everyone in the locker room understands what we are trying to do. We realize that we have the best record at 21-5 and with that comes a decision every night to play the right way and to play as hard as we can on both ends. 

"I wouldn't say we're playing angry, we're having a lot of fun. The goal is still the game and get back to the finals and get over that hump. While we're having fun and are happy with the way we are playing, no body in that locker room is satisfied." 

Boston certainly looks like a team that isn't content with just winning, it needs to smother each team each matchup and it has shown. 

The Celtics down two starts just dominated the best team in the Western Conference. Imagine when they actually are at full strength. 

Further Reading

Here's What Stood Out in the Celtics' Win vs. Suns: Dominant Defensive Performance Paves Way to Blowout Victory

The Top 5 Plays from Monday's Celtics-Raptors Game

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Raptors: Increased Energy and Better Ball Security the Difference-Makers in Second Half Surge

[Film Room] How the Celtics Stifled the Nets, Delivering Their Best Defensive Performance This Season

Celtics Fans Absolutely will Love Latest Robert Williams' Latest Injury Update