BSJ Game Report: Boston Celtics 116, Washington Wizards 87 - Marcus Smart returns, Jayson Tatum goes nuclear, Celtics win easy

Everything you need to know about the Boston Celtics' win over the Washington Wizards with BSJ insight and analysis:

IN A NUTSHELL

Jayson Tatum broke out of his slump in a BIG way, shooting 18-28 on the night (9-14 from 3) and powering the Celtics to a lead as big as 30. The Celtics scuffled a little bit in the non-Tatum second-quarter minutes, but they closed the first half strong and broke it open in the third. 

Box Score

HEADLINES

This is how you break out of a slump: After his 0-7 shooting from deep night against the Blazers, Tatum said “it’s just a matter of getting out of it. And I will and we’ll be able to talk about something else.” He was right. 

Best effort in a while: I’ll overlook a little relaxation when they were up 27 and it got down to 19, especially since they pushed it back to 30. They did a good job absorbing a Wizards run in the middle of the second, and dominated the second half.

TURNING POINT

Ime Udoka spent his challenge at the 2:12 mark of the second quarter to review a foul call. It seemed like odd timing, but he won the challenge and the Celtics went on an 8-0 run to go into the half up 15. They built on that lead in the third and never looked back. 

“We were up eight at the time and it takes a basket off the board,” Udoka said after the game. “You are hoping you don't need it later in the fourth quarter but it takes points off the board for them. We had a chance to go back up 10, we drew up a play to get a 3 after that. It worked out that way, we felt it was a clear offensive foul to put us up 10 and went on the run. More of a feel thing, don't want to keep it in your back pocket and waste it. At the same time, if it's just going to be a side out of bounds, you won't waste it at that time of the game but it did take a basket off the board.”

FOUR UP

Jayson Tatum: The final numbers - 51 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists. He was not only hitting 3’s, but he was attacking the basket and basically doing whatever he wanted. There will be much more on Tatum coming up in a separate piece.

Marcus Smart: His early third-quarter run of assists was huge. The 15 point lead had been whittled down to 11, but Smart dropped three straight assists (two to Tatum, one to Jaylen Brown) and then had another drive-and-kick to Brown who was fouled on the 3-pointer, and the two more potential assists to Al Horford who simply missed easy layups. It could have very easily been a six-assists-in-three-minutes stretch. 

Robert Williams: This was as much about the little things that he did in the game: moving the ball side to side, drawing attention and making plays, being the rim threat. He blocked a couple of shots and had 4 assists and when the tracking stats come in, I’ll bet there are a bunch of screen assists for him too.

Grant Williams: The reliable 3-point shooting is leading to some harder closeouts as the word gets out that he can knock shots down. He’s turning that into some drives and dishes. It’s an evolution to watch for. 

ZERO DOWN

I was going to nitpick a couple of guys but … I’ll save it. No need to be nitpicky on a day like this.

TOP PLAYS

ONE TAKE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

Turns out a starting point guard is important. 

If things are going to turn around at all this season, it’ll be with Marcus Smart as the starting point guard and the offense running off that. 

For all that Dennis Schroder can bring offensively, Marcus Smart isn’t getting benched for defensive purposes. And while Smart isn’t perfect by any means, he showed in this game why he can be the guy who sets the team up offensively. 

“It definitely makes it a little easier with just the way that Smart sees the floor,” Tatum said after the game. “Whether it's for myself, JB, Rob, just whoever, he just has a knack for making the right plays, seeing guys and getting them in these spots.”

Before the game, Smart pulled his team aside to share an important message. 

“I just told everybody I love them. I love all you guys, I’m here and proud and really looking for everybody’s success,” Smart said. “I pulled Jayson, Jaylen told them separately by themselves, and I went down the line with everybody individually and told them I appreciate them, I’m proud of them, this is what you do, just go out there and do it and keep doing it, and I told Jaylen and Jayson, keep playing. Don’t worry about it. I told Jayson specifically ‘I know you ain’t hit a three in about 20 attempts, just keep shooting.’ I said ‘I’m going to make sure I find you, I’m going to get you going, I’m going to get you open. Just shoot the ball and don’t think about it.”

Tatum did just that. 

“When you're kind of in a slump, to see that first shot, that first three go in, you kind of get it off your back and the game kind of just opens up,” he said. Later he added that Smart “told me not to worry about the 20 threes in a row that I missed and just to keep shooting. They need me to be myself and they will fall. And they did.”

That’s part of being the point guard. 

“He settles us down at times,” Udoka said. “He knows when a guy is going, who to get some shots for, and obviously his defensive presence, toughness and mentality he brings to the team is invaluable.”

Tatum’s 51 is the story of this game, but if there's any chance of things turning around this season, it’s Smart doing what we saw at the start of the third. It’s Smart taking some control and distributing to the scorers, and nipping opponent runs early before they become a problem.