BSJ Game Report: Celtics 130, Wizards 104 - Tatum, Hauser, combined for 60 to bury Washington

Everything you need to know about the Celtics win over the Wizards, with BSJ insight and analysis

IN A NUTSHELL

Jordan Poole kept the Wizards in it early, but Jayson Tatum’s 18 points gave Boston an 18-point edge after one. Sam Hauser went on a massive 3-point binge (joined by Tatum) over the second and third quarters as the lead grew to 30 just before half and stayed there for the rest of the game. Hauser left the game with a sprained ankle in the third with 10 3-pointers. 

Box Score

HEADLINES

- Easy going: It didn’t matter who was missing, the Wizards are so bad that half of the Boston Celtics are still 30 points better. Tatum set the tone right away, and Hauser finished the job. The Celtics came out with good focus, played great on both ends and handled their business without any heavy lifting from anyone on the team. 

- Sam Hauser’s shooting: It’s a shame that he turned his ankle because he was absolutely going to set a new team record for 3-pointers. As it was, he set the team record for fewest minutes to get to 10 3-pointers. He got all of them in the flow of the offense, too. He just couldn't miss. 

- Good defense: It’ll get lost in another monster offensive night by the Celtics, but their defense was pretty good all night long. They forced 16 turnovers, nine of them steals which led to 22 points. 

TURNING POINT

The Celtics took off mid-way through the first quarter after the game was tied at 17. They closed the quarter on a 28-10 run and blew it open in the second quarter. 

THINGS I LIKED

- Focus: They came out ready to play. There wasn’t a shred of “we’re too good for this game” in this performance. 

“This is the type of game where they were missome some players, and in the past, we’ve talked about it, the performance kind of goes down, we kind of relax a little bit,” Al Horford said after the game. “I felt like we respected our opponent and we were very prepared and on edge and continued to play the right way.”

- Jayson Tatum: He finished with 30/6/6 in 26:36 of play, which is a massively impressive stat. Not only was he 8-17 from the field and 6-12 from 3, but he was looking for his teammates … especially Hauser. But my favorite thing Tatum did was attack in the post and draw a foul on his first touch of the game. He let them know he was not there to mess around. This was a low-key amazing game from him. 

- Hauser: The last shot he took was the only one he forced. He was on fire in the second quarter and, after a timeout, was immediately looking for his teammates. I think one thing we were robbed of in this game was the Wizards overreactions to him leading to easy buckets for others. We started to see it just before the injury, and I wanted to see how that played out. He finished with 30 on 10-13 shooting from 3, but also six rebounds and an assist.

- Payton Pritchard: A career-high 13 assists and 14 points on 6-15 shooting (2-5 3pt). Also, five rebounds, including two offensive. He might be the best pound-for-pound offensive rebounder in the league. 

- Luke Kornet: He’s just out there catching lobs and putting back misses all over the place. It’s funny to think how much some people wanted him gone early this season and now he’s playing the best basketball of his life. 

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

- Whistles against Jaden Springer: Did he hit on an official’s wife or something? Every call against him seemed iffy at best. 

- Oshae Brissett’s airball free throw: At least he made himself laugh, too. 

HIGHLIGHTS

TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- Keep mixing up the rest days

I think part of the Celtics' focus in games like this comes from having guys playing minutes they wouldn't normally get. 

It’s impossible to prove, but I think it might have been a little different if Boston was at full strength because even a lazy full-strength C’s squad can beat this Wizards team, and they know it. 

But having someone like Brissett and Hauser in the starting lineup is a nice way to push the energy right away. 

I’ll make a counterpoint against myself, though. Tatum clearly came out aggressively, so maybe it wouldn’t have mattered, but the point still stands. Give some of these guys a little rest (yes, including Tatum) and give the bench guys more burn. The energy will permeate the entire lineup. 

- I love Joe Mazzulla challenging a call up 32 late in the game. 

He’s consistent. He always says he owes it to the guys who work their butts off every day to coach them like a normal game whenever they get in. He’s not going to treat them differently because of the game circumstances. 

So when Pritchard insisted he didn’t touch the ball last, and with Boston clearly not needing to save any timeouts, Mazzulla called for the review. 

The guys appreciate Mazzulla’s effort late in these blowouts. 

Next up: The Celtics return home tomorrow night for a back-to-back against Detroit.