Final: Wizards 99, Celtics 94 -- C's have no answer for Ish Smith

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 35 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.

The C’s defense was solid for most of the night but they didn’t have an answer against Smith (12-of-18) in the second half, failing to pull off a comeback after pulling even early in the fourth quarter.

The road does not get much easier from here for Boston as another back-to-back set awaits the C’s back in Boston on Wednesday.

• The Celtics will be without Kemba Walker for the third straight game as he continues to recover from flu-like symptoms. Marcus Smart spoke about the additional responsibility he's taking at point guard with Walker sidelined: “I got to be even more aggressive with the ball, without the ball,” Smart told reporters in Washington. “I’ve got to pick my spots wisely even more than normal just for the simple fact we got a lot of guys that can score the ball and I’m really good with finding those guys, so I’ve got to do a good job of getting those guys the ball early when they got the position on their guys and just really getting them going.”


• Romeo Langford also flew home from Chicago after coming down with flu-like symptoms, which will leave the Celtics with 11 healthy bodies in Washington. Tremont Waters and Carsen Edwards remain with the team for backcourt depth. Tacko Fall could be recalled later this week for depth in games against the Spurs and Sixers.


• Bradley Beal remains a game-time decision for the Wizards but the DC bench has been very solid in his absence, scoring 92 points collectively in an upset win over the Nuggets on Saturday night.


• The Celtics have won four straight road games overall and are 4-0 on Mondays so far this season.