Everything you need to know about the Celtics' 99-94 loss to the Wizards with BSJ insight and analysis
Box Score
HEADLINES
Celtics look flat without Kemba: Kemba Walker has been a vital cog for the Celtics’ offense all year long and there was no better example of that than Boston’s performance on Monday. The C’s shot a season-low 34.7 percent while the Wizards got a game-high 27 points from Ish Smith off the bench, leading an undermanned Washington squad past Boston with a 99-94 win.
Boston had their three-game winning streak snapped largely thanks to a rough shooting night from their backcourt. Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown combined to shoot an ugly 10-of-36 from the field, highlight a brutal night for the starting five (outside of Jayson Tatum) where no one shot better than 40 percent from the field.
Ish Smith dominates the second half: The C’s defense was solid for most of the night but they didn’t have an answer against Smith (12-of-18 from the field) in the second half, failing to pull off a comeback after pulling even early in the fourth quarter. Smith scored 16 of his 27 points in the second half including an 8-0 run by himself in the fourth quarter to carry a Wizards squad that was without several key rotation pieces including Bradley Beal. While this looks like a terrible loss for Boston when you factor in the talent level, the Wizards have been a feisty team of late while shorthanded, beating other elite teams like the C’s at home, and the Nuggets and Heat.
TURNING POINT
After the Celtics fought back from a 12-point deficit to tie the game up at 80 with seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Smith countered with an 8-0 run on his own to seize control of the game for the Wizards once again in a game that they never trailed.
TWO UP
Tremont Waters: The rookie point guard breathed some life into a lifeless Celtics offense in the second half, scoring a career-high 8 points in just 8 minutes before heading back to the bench. You could make the case that Stevens should have stuck with him longer given how poor the offense looked for much of the game.
Grant Williams: The big man was in the closing lineup for the C’s and made all three of his shots including a corner 3 in 25 minutes before fouling out. He held his ground well defensively in switches and did a nice job on the glass despite making a couple of foolish fouls.
TWO DOWN
Jaylen Brown: Brown was aggressive from the very start of this game, taking eight shot attempts in the first quarter alone but it didn’t bode well for Boston’s offense. He finished with 23 points on 22 shot attempts to go along with a team-high four turnovers. On a night the C’s needed his offense without Walker, he struggled from inside and out.
Brad Wanamaker: The second-year guard missed all six of his shot attempts in 15 minutes. He has dipped into a bit of an offensive slump after a strong start to the year, shooting just 40 percent or under from the field in eight of his last ten games.
TOP PLAY
.@jaytatum0 is turning it on ⭐☘️ pic.twitter.com/GJQkNyxSvS
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 7, 2020
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
This looked like a bad Celtics game from last season: The Celtics had a miserable night shooting the ball in this one but they settled far too often in this matchup against one of the worst defenses in the NBA. There was plenty of 1-on-1 ball with just 17 assists and not enough passing particularly in the first half when the offense was particularly stagnant. It’s not a huge surprise that the C’s came out like this during their third game in four nights without their best offensive weapon but the flaws of every key piece in the starting five was on display here. Marcus Smart was too eager with his shot attempts (14), Jaylen Brown was too loose with his handle (4 turnovers), Jayson Tatum couldn’t get to the line (zero attempts) and Hayward just looked passive for much of the game. The good news was that there haven’t been many games like this all season long but this should also be a reminder that some guys still need to be wary of old bad habits at times.
Marcus Smart’s shooting slump is beginning to get a little bit worrisome: The backup guard was on a downward trajectory with his 3-point shooting before his eye infection and that trend has continued in five games since his return. Smart has now shot 30 percent or worse from the field in four of his five games since his return and has shot an ugly 7-of-30 from downtown during that span. He’s clearly trying to do a bit too much on nights like this with Walker out of the lineup but his 36 percent 3-point shooting last season is beginning to look like more of an outlier when compared to his career average (31 percent) now that he’s back down to that mark. At some point, he’s going to need to reel in his shot attempts (over six per game) unless he shows some serious improvement on that front.