Suns' Ulis beats Celtics at buzzer after wild Boston collapse

The Boston Celtics' push for the Eastern Conference's top seed took a deflating blow Sunday afternoon in Phoenix.

After rallying from a double-digit, third-quarter deficit to take a three-point lead inside the final 20 seconds against the Suns, the Celtics collapsed in spectacular fashion.

First, Eric Bledsoe cut Boston's lead to one on a layup with 13 seconds remaining. After an intentional foul, Isaiah Thomas then split a pair of free throws, leaving the Celts up two with 11.8 seconds left on the clock, and neither team nursing a timeout.

That's when things really got wild.

Bledsoe drove the length of the court again to tie the game with four seconds left, before the Suns forced an immediate Thomas turnover, found Tyler Ulis, and watched the rookie splash home the improbable, game-winning, buzzer-beating three.

When the dust settled, the Suns had outscored Boston 7-1 in a span of 13 seconds, and the Celtics - whose next two games come against the Warriors and Clippers - missed a golden opportunity to climb within two games of the East-leading Cavaliers.