Everything you need to know about the Celtics' 140-133 victory over the Wizards with BSJ insight and analysis
HEADLINES
Balanced scoring carries Celtics in shootout: With Daniel Theis and Rob Williams sidelined with injuries, the Celtics turned into an offense-first team against a Wizards squad that has not been interested in playing much defense all year long. The end result was one of the highest-scoring games in the NBA this year with the C’s scoring over 34 points in all four quarters. After a back-and-forth affair through the first three quarters, the C’s broke things open in the fourth quarter riding seven different players in double figures to their ninth straight win. Kemba Walker led the way with 25 points, while Jaylen Brown chipped in with 20 second-half points. Enes Kanter had a season-high 13 points and 9 rebounds in his second start of the year filling in for Theis while Boston’s bench backcourt combined for 28 points to help keep Bradley Beal (44 points) from shooting the visitors back into the game. The C's now have won nine straight games leading into their five-game west coast trip which starts on Friday night in Golden State.
Carsen Edwards finds his rhythm: The rookie guard has struggled out of the gate for the C’s outside of a couple hot nights in Cleveland and New York, but with the hosts missing three rotation players, Edwards stepped up in a big way against the Wizards. He scored a career-high 18 points off the bench, making his first four 3-point attempts on the nights to help raise his 3-point percentage on the year back up to 36 percent. With Boston lacking consistent firepower off their bench right now following the injury to Gordon Hayward, Edwards’ hot stretch should be a much-needed confidence boost for the second-round pick ahead of a tough west coast trip.
Nine straight wins for C’s: The Wizards weren’t exactly the biggest challenge on Wednesday night for Boston but any win without three rotation players at this point is important with the competition at the top of the East. The victory gives Boston a 1.5 game edge over the Bucks, Heat and Raptors at the top of the Conference, which looms large as the team faces a host of strong squads (Phoenix, LA Clippers, Denver) on their upcoming road trip. While the defense will certainly need some work after this victory, it’s safe to say that this offense has enough firepower to keep pace with some high-scoring teams out West even with Hayward on the mend.
TURNING POINT
The Celtics opened up the fourth quarter with a 10-0 run with a makeshift lineup featuring Jayson Tatum, Carsen Edwards, Brad Wanamaker, Grant Williams and Semi Ojeleye. Tatum provided the offensive firepower for the run, while Edwards delivered a jumper and a steal that turned into a fast-break layup. The outburst turned a slim lead into a double-digit edge, giving the hosts enough of a cushion to hold on to a win down the stretch.
TWO UP
Jayson Tatum: The swingman shook off a historically bad shooting night on Monday with a team-high 15 first-half points on 7-of-13 shooting before finishing with 23 points on the night. He had his way with a Wizards frontcourt that’s highly lacking in the defense department between Troy Brown Jr. and rookie Rui Hachimura, producing plenty of open looks inside the arc.
Marcus Smart: The 3-point shooting bump that Smart saw last season continues to look like less of a fluke with each passing game. He knocked down three 3-pointers in the first half alone, helping jump his season average to 38 percent on the year from downtown. With more offense needed from him in the wake of Hayward’s injury, Smart is stepping up to the plate, finishing the night
TWO DOWN
Jaylen Brown in the first half: His hot streak came to a crashing halt in the first half, missing his first five shots of the game before knocking one down in the second quarter. He ultimately finished with just two points in 17 first-half minutes, failing to get in on the shootout in the first half, before erupting for 20 points after intermission.
Celtics’ defense: Without Theis or Rob Williams available, the C’s defense fell apart at the seams at times throughout the loss. The Wizards shot 52 percent from the field and 37 percent from 3-point range, finding plenty of easy looks within a C’s defense that couldn’t prevent open looks at the rim with Kanter patrolling the middle.
TOP PLAY
Kemba weaves through traffic for the and one ? pic.twitter.com/ft5E8547BP
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 14, 2019
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
Daniel Theis is more important to this defense than we think: The Wizards like to play fast and have a top-10 offense but this was still a fairly brutal effort from Boston on the defensive end. While losing Gordon Hayward hurts the C’s defensive versatility, the bigger blow on this night may have been playing without Daniel Theis, who has doubled as a rim protector and mobile defender in the paint for the first month of the season. Without him, we saw the flaws that Enes Kanter brings in a starting role, failing to provide any meaningful resistance against an underwhelming Wizards frontline. Theis isn’t expected to miss serious time (jammed finger) and the same goes for Rob Williams (sore ankle) a less consistent defender than Theis but clearly a far better rim protector than any options on Wednesday. The C’s will be tested on this front in the coming days if Theis misses more time.
Isaiah Thomas’ defense is worse than ever: It was a solid offensive line for Thomas as he returned to the Garden in a starting role for the first time since his trade. However, his defensive woes were at the forefront of the Wizards’ nearly non-existent D as the C’s scored their most points in a regulation game since 1992. Between his inability to get around screens, his size and a pure lack of hustle in a few situations, it’s hard to imagine Thomas playing meaningful minutes for any playoff team in the coming months unless he commits a lot more to this area of the floor.