The Boston Celtics defeated the Washington Wizards 112-98 on Sunday. These two teams are on opposite ends of the standings, and it was evident on the court in this game. The Wizards were missing multiple key players. Kyle Kuzma, Malcolm Brogdon, Kyshawn George, and Corey Kispert were all out. The Celtics were missing Al Horford. After an early run from Washington, Boston took command and never looked back. Jayson Tatum led the way with 28 points and 12 rebounds. The Boston Celtics improved to 21-5 on the season, while the Wizards dropped to 3-21.
Boston’s Hot Start
The Washington Wizards came out firing. Bilal Coulibaly was especially hot, drilling multiple three-pointers to give the Wizards an early lead. They were pushing the pace and firing threes. The Boston Celtics did not take long to respond, taking advantage of a few Washington turnovers to tie the game and take the lead. After early spurts from both teams, the game slowed down and stayed close. Boston did build a lead toward the end of the quarter with a three from Sam Hauser and a Tatum dunk and three. The Boston Celtics closed the first quarter on a 10-0 run, leading 34-23.
Tatum led the Celtics with 11 points, followed by Kristaps Porzingis with 7. Coulibaly scored 11 points for Washington and Poole had 6. Luke Kornet made a few nice plays for the Celtics in the second quarter, hustling for rebounds and getting to the free-throw line. Boston extended their lead, going up by as much as 21. Payton Pritchard began to heat up, which is becoming a regular occurrence. He hit a couple of three-pointers and threw an alley-oop to Porzingis. Soon after, Porzingis went to the locker room with another leg injury scare and would not return.
The Wizards did trim the lead before the half with a hot shooting stretch. Still, at halftime, the Boston Celtics led 67-52. The Boston Celtics usually build their leads through a barrage of three-point shooting, but on Sunday they did so through their defense and attacking the paint. Boston shot 16 free throws in the first half compared to Washington’s one free-throw. Tatum had 15 points and 8 rebounds after missing the Celtics’ last game. Porzingis scored 11 points and Derrick White had 9. Coulibaly was scoreless in the second quarter after a hot start. He and Poole had 11 points apiece in the first half.
Boston Celtics Cruise To Victory
The third quarter was more of the same. The Wizards opened the second half on a run, cutting the deficit to ten multiple times, but that was as close as they would get. Three-pointers from Tatum, Pritchard, and Hauser kept the Celtics ahead. Jaylen Brown scored in the final seconds of the quarter to give the Boston Celtics a 91-72 lead. Boston held off a Wizards comeback and was up big with one quarter to play.
Both teams came out cold in the fourth quarter and when shots began to fall, not much changed. Tatum scored a few more baskets in the paint and Pritchard knocked down a three-pointer to maintain the Celtics lead. The Wizards did go on a run to trim the lead in the final five minutes, but it was far too little too late. A few Poole buckets made the score closer than most of the game was, as Boston put in their bench unit and coasted to victory. The Boston Celtics won 112-98.
Final Thoughts
The Boston Celtics improved to 21-5 with the win. Tatum led the Celtics in scoring with 28 points and 12 rebounds. Pritchard and White finished with 15 points apiece. They led comfortably for most of the game, getting their third win in Washington this season. One interesting stat is that Boston has more wins in the Wizards arena this season than the Wizards do. But the win did not come without any problems, as Kristaps Porzingis left the game with a heel injury. In the seven games he’s played this season, Porzingis has left with injury in two of them. It is concerning, as his health will be a huge factor to Boston’s postseason success.
The Washington Wizards continue to struggle this season and fall to 3-21 with the loss. Jordan Poole scored 21 points and Coulibaly had 19. They led by as much as eight in the first quarter after a hot start, but once the Celtics took control, the Wizards never recovered. Washington has a few young players that show promise and potential, but it is not translating to wins this season. They are 0-3 against the Boston Celtics and do not play them again until April.
