BSJ Game Report: Celtics 124, Wizards 90 - Balanced attack, 3-point barrage, leads to easy win

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

IN A NUTSHELL

The Celtics pounced on the Wizards early, burying them under a barrage of 13 first-half 3-pointers, seven of which were hit by Derrick White and Jrue Holiday on their way to a 21-point halftime lead. There was a tiny lull where the lead dropped to 15 in the third quarter, but a massive 3-point explosion pushed it up to 35 before the quarter ended. The Celtics cruised from there.

Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis didn’t play in this game.

Box Score

HEADLINES

- That was easy: The Wizards are an awful team by design. They not only held so many people out that they had eight healthy bodies, they sat a healthy Marcus Smart. The Celtics took full advantage early and poured it on. It’s the exact kind of performance you want to see from a good team against a tanking opponent. 

- 3-point barrage: Boston finished 24-52 from 3, a very healthy 46.2%. For a short time, I thought this might be the night they break the single-game record, but they tailed off in the fourth quarter. As a fun side-note, though, Sam Hauser hit the 3-pointer that broke the NBA’s league-wide record for 3-pointers in a season. 

- Balanced scoring: Seven Celtics scored double figures in this game. Payton Pritchard led the Celtics taking 18 shots and scoring 20 points, but no one in the starting five took more than 13. The ball moved well, leading to 33 assists. 

TURNING POINT 

Honestly, the jump ball. Boston went on a run to start the game and once the lead got to 26-14 with 4:26 to go in the first, the lead never dipped below double digits after that. It never got closer than 15 for almost all of the final three quarters of the game. 

THINGS I LIKED

- Focus: This was a pretty thorough demolition from the beginning. There was no messing around and no random Wizard going off to make the game frustratingly close. The Celtics worked hard, moved the ball, rebounded well, and handled their business.

- Offensive rebounding: The Celtics had 25 offensive rebounds and 32 second chance points. 

“That’s really where all my threes came from – from second chances,” White said. “Just hitting the offensive glass, just doing a bunch of little things to impact winning.”

- Luke Kornet: He had nine of those offensive rebounds, 14 rebounds overall, to go with 13 points and three assists. He also had this hustle play: 

After the game, Hauser said he wants the crowd to start barking with Kornet in these moments. 

- Hauser, but more than just shooting: 18 points on 7-12 shooting (4-7 3pt), but he did other things to help as well. 

“Everyone knows he's a great shooter, but he's not defined by that,” Joe Mazzulla said. “One thing that he's drastically improved this year is his rebounding, especially his rebounding out of area, going to get rebounds, pursuing the glass and pursuing the ball. And that's a really underrated part of his game. Had eight tonight.”

Two of those were offensive. He was really putting in the work. 

- The rest of the starters: I’m not going to break everyone down individually because I think the same things apply to White, Holiday, Al Horford, and Jaylen Brown. They all moved well with not much isolation or stagnation. They put up 52 3-pointers and I think almost all of them felt fine within the flow of the offense. Horford had a tough shooting night but hit the boards. Brown was definitely taking it easy but he still managed 15 points and five assists. In fact, all of the starters had between three and five assists. 

- Payton Pritchard: He led the team with 20 points and seven assists. He also passed Isaiah Thomas for single-season 3-pointers.

- Torrey Craig: He had eight rebounds in 16 minutes, four of them offensive. He was working his butt off. 

- This pass by Baylor Scheierman: 

- Jaylen Brown’s throwing arm:

He’s definitely in the right sport. 

“I was a little disappointed,” White said of Brown’s T-shirt toss. “He didn't have a smart way of doing it. He was throwing it and the spin was knocking it down. He needed to throw a spiral. I got to help him out.”

HIGHLIGHTS

ONE TAKE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- Marcus Smart deserves better. 

I know every time I mention Smart the comments section turns into mess, but I know how hard he worked and how passionate he was about winning.

I thought the Memphis situation would be good for him but that never worked out, for a variety of reasons. Now he’s in Washington, playing some, but mostly acting as a coach to much younger guys. 

“I've got to get used to that. They're calling me ‘unc’ and things like that. I ain't ready for that,” Smart said after the game. “It's a great group of young guys here, and the thing that I love about them is they're ready to learn and they're willing to learn. They're constantly asking me questions, constantly asking me to demonstrate things, and that's what you ask for. As a competitor, as a player yourself, when guys come up to you, that's a great feeling.”

Smart is due $21.5 million next season, which is a lot of money but tolerable for a 31-year-old guard who has been dealing with a few injuries in recent years. 

“I’m one of probably the biggest competitors in this league,” he said. “As long as I’m able to be out there, I want to be out there and I’m going to be out there. Where, when, how – that’s not in my control. All I can do is control my preparation and be prepared for whatever is thrown at me.”

Smart says having a kid has mellowed him a little bit and he’s able to take things as they come more than he could before. That's a good thing, because I’m not sure how the rest of his career will go. He might just be in the “journeyman” phase of his NBA life at this point. 

He only has a few years left. I don’t think his body is going to be able to handle his style of play for much longer. I think he deserves a strong finish to his career. I hope they are good years in a place that can maximize him … as long as it’s not Philadelphia.     

Next up: The Celtics head out to play their final two road games of the season, starting Tuesday night in New York.