The Boston Celtics dominated the Washington Wizards in a 124-90 win. Payton Pritchard led with 20 points off the bench. Alex Sarr scored 16 points in the loss. The Celtics were without Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis. Meanwhile, Kyshawn George, Malcolm Brogdon, Richaun Holmes, Saddiq Bey, and Tristan Vukcevic were out for the Wizards. The Boston Celtics improved to 58-20, sweeping the Wizards 4-0 in the season series. The Wizards dropped to 17-61.
The Boston Celtics Start Hot
The Boston Celtics had defeated the Wizards in all of their previous meetings this season. Boston took an early 8-0 lead with three-pointers from Derrick White and Jrue Holiday. Luke Kornet also got rolling with a couple of buckets inside. Washington battled back as Jordan Poole began to heat up. But the Celtics went double digits as Al Horford and Sam Hauser put down more threes. Boston was dialed in from beyond the arc. In the first quarter, they shot 7-of-16 from deep compared to the Wizards’ 2-of-15. The Boston Celtics led 34-18. Holiday had 8 points. Poole led Washington with 5.
The Wizards three-point struggles continued into the second quarter. This allowed the Boston Celtics to extend their lead past 20 points. The Celtics were also hustling on both ends, fighting for rebounds and making plays defensively. Torrey Craig made the most of his minutes off the bench, blocking multiple shots, pulling down boards, and even making a three. White was also hot, making four threes in the half. Boston was not shooting great from the field, but they were making the threes. They had a better shooting percentage from three than they did overall. At halftime, the Boston Celtics led 60-39.
The Boston Celtics shot 46% from three in the first half. White led the team with 14 points, followed by Holiday with 11. Horford and Hauser each had 8 points, and Craig had 3 blocks. Down two starters, the Celtics played like nothing was wrong, embracing the next-man-up mentality. Meanwhile, the Wizards shooting struggles did them no favors. Poole had 10 points and was their only double-digit scorer. They were playing fast, taking care of the ball, and generating decent looks, but shots were not falling. That, paired with Boston winning the rebound battle, made for an uneven first half.
A Blowout Win
In the third quarter, Washington made a comeback effort. Threes began to fall, and they began the quarter shooting 5-of-7. Sarr made a pair of threes helping them cut the deficit to 15. The Boston Celtics pulled ahead again after a Kornet putback and Brown three. White also stayed hot and the Celtics maintained their lead. They went on a huge 16-0 run with a few highlight plays. Baylor Scheierman made a pair of threes and a behind-the-back assist. This lead grew to 36. Hauser and Pritchard joined the three-point barrage, and the TD Garden was rocking. At the end of the third quarter, the Boston Celtics led 100-68.
Through three quarters, the Boston Celtics had built a nearly insurmountable lead. In the fourth quarter, all they had to do was keep it. Boston had their bench unit in, but they still fought to extend possessions with offensive rebounds. Meanwhile, Pritchard and Hauser made shots to maintain the lead. In this blowout, the Boston fans began to chant for former Celtic Marcus Smart. Smart was acquired by the Wizards at the trade deadline but did not enter the game. The Boston Celtics won 124-90. They made 24 threes and have hit 20+ threes in 25 games this season. No other team in NBA history has had 20 or more in a season.
Final Thoughts
The Boston Celtics improved to 58-20 with the win. Pritchard led the team with 20 points, getting a large portion in garbage time. White scored 19 points, Hauser had 18, and Brown had 15. Kornet had 13 points and 14 rebounds. The Wizards fell to 17-61 in the loss. Sarr had 16 points followed by Poole with 15. The Celtics swept Washington in the season series 4-0. Each win was by double digits.
