PHOENIX — The Suns made a decision early in Wednesday’s game that they were going to force the Celtics to act quickly. They would send two defenders to the ball, hoping that they would slow down the Celtics while forcing them to speed up.

The problem with that approach is that the defending NBA champions have so many willing and capable passers, as well as accurate and relentless shooters. So in the opening quarter, Phoenix’s half-hearted double teams essentially unlocked a shooting drill for Boston.

The Celtics drilled seven 3-pointers in the game’s first 4 minutes, 11 seconds, and the Suns were never able to overcome that avalanche. Boston rolled to a wire-to-wire 132-102 win, its seventh in a row and 12th in 13 games.

“We’re looking good,” center Kristaps Porzingis said. “We’re playing well. We’re adding some small twists to our offense that I think are necessary. We’re moving the ball well, which is an important part. As I keep saying, I wanted to peak at the right moment, at the most important moment. And I think as a team, we’re heading in that direction.”

The Celtics won easily despite the fact that forward Jayson Tatum sat out due to the sprained left ankle he suffered in Monday’s win over the Kings. But Tatum avoided a serious injury, and his absence Wednesday was mostly a precautionary measure

He completed a lengthy workout at the team’s morning shootaround before going through another before the game. There were no visible signs that he was limited.

“We play the same style [without Tatum],” Porzingis said. “Obviously, JT is the main guy and creates a lot of opportunities for us. But when he’s not out there, we have other guys to step into those roles and take more shots, take more responsibility, and create more. And yeah, tonight was a good night, even without having JT out there.”

Porzingis had 30 points and 8 rebounds and appears to have recaptured his top form after missing several weeks with a respiratory illness. Jaylen Brown, who said after the game that his playing time is being restricted as he deals with a bone bruise in his knee, added 24 points.

The Celtics hit 10 3-pointers during their red-hot opening quarter and finished 22-for-52 (42.3 percent). Their approach was no secret, but Suns superstar Kevin Durant acknowledged that Boston’s ability to shoot from just about anywhere can put unusual stress on a defense.

“You see that thing hit the rim, like hit the net, like that from that deep,” Durant said. “Yeah, man, you know this is coming, you know what type of team they are, you know what type of league you are in, but it’s still demoralizing when teams have deep threes.”

Durant said that even when the Celtics miss, opponents are vulnerable to the long caroms that can lead to quick second chances when a defense is compromised.

“That could make it seem like we’re not engaged as a team, [like] we are not playing hard,” Durant said. “That’s just about how the ball bounces sometimes. They pretty much know what their identity is out there and how they want to approach it. It’s nice when they don’t shoot well from the three. Then we got nights like tonight.”

That explanation aside, there were also several early stretches in which the Suns showed very little willingness to provide defensive resistance. The Celtics had plenty of time to line up their wide open looks, and they capitalized.

Still, the Suns lingered in the first quarter thanks to their work closer to the rim and the presence of Durant (30 points). The ageless superstar poured in 16 points on 6 of 8 shooting, helping the Suns pull within 42-38 at the start of the second period.

Phoenix shot 62.5 percent from the field in the quarter, but the massive 3-point differential left them facing a deficit anyway. After making 15 shots in the opening period, the Suns connected on just 21 over the rest of the game.

The Suns missed all nine of their 3-point attempts in the second period. During one sequence with three minutes left, Al Horford smothered Royce O’Neale’s driving layup attempt, and on the ensuing inbounds play, Brown pestered Durant and stripped the ball from him, one of five Suns turnovers in the quarter.

“I just liked our defensive approach,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “I thought the guys were able to take it to another level.”

Boston led by as many as 25 points and took a 73-54 lead to the break. In the third quarter, Brown ensured that Phoenix could never even entertain thoughts of a comeback. He roared down the lane for a ferocious one-handed dunk before drilling a fadeaway 3, as the Celtics stretched their lead to as many as 34 points.

Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.