Everything you need to know about the Wizards’ 113-101 win over the Celtics in quickie form.
Box Score
HEADLINES
Strong start, ugly finish: The Celtics started this contest with a sense of urgency on both ends of the floor. Jaylen Brown scored 21 of his team-high 27 points in the first quarter to help the visitors build a nine-point lead. The starters were active defensively and forced the Wizards into tough shots in the halfcourt. Things went awry from there, however, as Washington outscored the Celtics 79-59 over the final three frames. The C’s could get no reliable offense from anyone over that stretch (37 percent shooting from field) while John Wall (29 points, 12 assists) got the Wizards offense rolling, leading a crew of six players in double figures to help the hosts snap a four-game losing streak in relatively easy fashion.
WALL for 3! #WizCeltics pic.twitter.com/bC3veV5wgW
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) April 11, 2018
Missed opportunity to knock Wizards down to eighth
seed
The motivation was clear for Boston on Tuesday night. If they didn’t want to see the Wizards in the first round, they could take care of business since a win would knock the Wizards out of the race for the seventh seed. Brad Stevens played his full rotation regular minutes in his attempt to dispatch a talented Wizards squad, but ultimately Boston looked vulnerable against the Wizards from a matchup standpoint, particularly in transition. Wall continuously set the table for Washington's 3-point shooters (50 percent as a team), demonstrating clearly why the C’s should not want to see this team in the first round with such a depleted depth in the Boston backcourt.
Scoreboard watching awaits Wednesday:
With just one game left in the regular season, three teams remain in play for the No. 7 seed in the East. The Celtics are likely to rest several regulars in their home finale against the Nets, but the Wizards, Heat and Bucks will all be in action simultaneously, which should create plenty of scoreboard watching inside of the TD Garden. Out of eight possible win-lose scenarios for all three teams, the C’s face Miami in four, Washington in two, and Milwaukee in two.
TURNING POINT
The Wizards opened up the fourth quarter on an 11-2 run, led by seven points from Bradley Beal. The sharpshooting guard capped the outburst with a four-point play, pushing the hosts lead to 14 points with eight minutes remaining in the frame. Boston couldn’t muster up a serious run in response, failing to cut the deficit below 10 points until garbage time.
if Brad Beal usually gets bucket buckets I guess this means he got bucket bucket bucket buckets? pic.twitter.com/UH3kHSJIbv
— NBC Sports Wizards (@NBCSWizards) April 11, 2018
ONE UP
Brown’s first quarter:
Mere days after scoring a career-high 32 points against the Bulls, the second-year guard put the Celtics on his back early, scoring 21 of the team’s 30 points in the first quarter. He was red-hot from beyond the arc (5-of-7) during the stretch and continued his improved shooting at the free throw line (4-of-4). The momentum failed to carry over during the final three quarters but Brown’s hot starts continue to be a major plus for this group.
Jaylen is FEELING it (five 3's in the quarter) pic.twitter.com/jWgbpb0g60
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 11, 2018
TWO DOWN
Marcus Morris:
The veteran looked rusty after taking a game off Sunday, going 2-of-10 from the field for just six points against his twin brother. The bigger cause for concern is his 3-point shooting in recent weeks, though. Morris missed all four of his attempts from downtown on Tuesday night and is now just 3-of-21 from deep over his past five games. The Celtics are going to live and die by the 3-ball during this postseason and they can’t afford to have a key contributor like Morris in a slump.
Terry Rozier:
The athletic guard appeared to jam his finger early in the contest and his shooting touch suffered throughout the defeat, perhaps because of it. Rozier was 2-of-12 from the field and finished with just eight points, as he was thoroughly waxed by Wall in the head-to-head matchup. Rozier has struggled overall since spraining his ankle last week (10-of-38 from field) so look for him to get some extra rest on Wednesday night against the Nets. The C’s are going to need him to regain some rhythm if they want to get out of round one.
TOP PLAY
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 11, 2018
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
The Wizards are flawed but the Celtics should still want no part of them in Round 1:
Talentwise, they are the best team in the mix for the No. 7 seed and they also create some of the mismatches for Boston, as shown on Tuesday night. Rozier struggles to keep Wall in front of him, Jayson Tatum can’t really hang with Beal around screens and Greg Monroe is extremely vulnerable to Wall in pick-and-roll situations. Washington has a weak bench overall and the Celtics would have a strong coaching advantage, but the C’s would need some superb efforts across the entire rotation to get past the Wizards. There is just a lot less margin for error in this matchup compared to the others.
The playoff rotation seems set:
Guerschon Yabusele (knee) was a scratch for the second straight game, but Stevens went four deep with his bench against the Wizards, leaving Abdel Nader and Jabari Bird on the bench until garbage time. That decision is likely an indicator that Bird still remains a long shot to be signed to an NBA contract and added to the playoff roster in place of Nader. If the C’s were going to go that route, you can bet that Bird would get a bit more time with the regulars on Tuesday night. It’s evident though that if the C’s end up playing the Wizards, Stevens could certainly use Bird to help chase Beal around all over the floor.