Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Here's What Stood Out in the Celtics' Win vs. Wizards: Boston Clamps Down Defensively, While Brogdon Scores Season-High
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After second-half struggles led to an exacerbating overtime loss against the Cavaliers on Friday, the Celtics bounced back with a far more consistent effort defensively.
In Sunday's win, Boston limited the Wizards to 26 points or fewer in three out of four quarters. It also helped that the Celtics got a season-high 23 points from Malcolm Brogdon.
Boston's sixth man carried the offense in the third quarter, consistently pushing the pace, getting into the paint, and often ending up at the free-throw line.
The Celtics also got a combined 47 points from its stars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Now, for a deep dive into Boston's 112-94 win over Washington.
Celtics Take Full Advantage of Wizards' Lack of Effort Defensively in First Frame
Jayson Tatum opened the game by swishing back-to-back threes. That included capitalizing on a well-designed set that turned him from one half of a staggered off-ball screen to coming off an Al Horford pindown, collecting a cross-court pass from Marcus Smart, and drilling an open long-range attempt.
After that, Jaylen Brown ripped off five-straight Boston points, including a transition layup and a three off a dish from Tatum to give the host's an 11-2 lead in the early going.
With the Wizards showing minimal interest defensively, consistently yielding clean looks from beyond the arc, Boston, specifically Tatum and Brown, knocked down five of its first six threes, building a 21-10 advantage.
Tatum and Brown combined to score the Celtics' first 23 points, outpacing Washington 23-10.
That included a Tatum layup after Marcus Smart waited for Kristaps Porzingis to turn his back to him, then ran over for the theft and got the ball to Tatum, who took care of the rest.
With 2:11 remaining, Payton Pritchard checked into the game. The third-year guard has regularly racked up DNP-CD's, even with Derrick White starting in Robert Williams' absence. But Malcolm Brogdon playing through lower back stiffness lent further support to incorporating Pritchard into the rotation.
The Celtics closed the first frame on an 11-2 run, capped by a Grant Williams jumper from eight feet with 3.3 seconds left, giving Boston a 34-15 lead entering the second quarter.
In a Familiar Storyline, Boston's Turnovers Fuel Wizards Second-Quarter Run
In his first six minutes in the game, spanning both quarters, Luke Kornet's passing stood out as the backup big regularly demonstrated the necessary control to catch the ball on the roll and kick it out to a shooter in the corner. A prime example came when he found Grant Williams for a three that gave Boston a 40-17 second-quarter lead.
About 3:30 later, Tatum shook Kyle Kuzma, snapping a tight crossover dribble, coming downhill, then switching the ball to his inside hand and laying it up off the glass.
At the 5:52 mark, after Al Horford couldn't get a layup to go down, Smart swooped in to strip Bradley Beal, then kicked the ball to Tatum for an open three, extending the lead to 51-27.
About two minutes later, following a failed alley-oop to Porzingis, Tatum pushed the pace in transition. With Brown flanking him on the opposite side, he lofted the ball to the other half of the Celtics' star duo for an alley-oop that drew a loud ovation from the TD Garden faithful.
However, in a run that began with 5:10 left in the first half, the Wizards outpaced Boston 20-7 to end the second quarter. Before a Brown three and Brogdon layup gave the Celtics some momentum entering the locker room, Washington outscored them 16-2.
The Wizards cutting into what once was a 24-point deficit, trimming it to 58-47 at the break occurred without a point from Bradely Beal. Washington's top-scorer went 0/7, including 0/4 from beyond the arc, in the first half.
As for the other star St. Louis native suiting up in this game, Tatum entered the break with 18 points on 6/12 shooting, including 5/9 from long range. He also dished out three assists. His four turnovers helped the Wizards get back into the game, but overall, his performance earned him a plus-minus rating of plus-5.
Brown led all scorers with 21 points on 6/12 shooting, converting on 3/6 attempts from beyond the arc. He also produced six free throws and didn't miss any.
Boston also got a boost off the bench from Brogdon, who chipped in seven points.
As a collective, the host's drilled 10/25 (40 percent) of their long-range attempts, often generating clean looks from beyond the arc. And when the Celtics weren't committing one of their seven turnovers that led to ten points for the Wizards, effective ball movement translated to 15 assists on 19 field goals.
Plus, as generally is the case, taking care of the ball made it easier to get stops and attack in transition, where they produced seven points. Boston also helped itself by going 10/10 at the free-throw line.
As for Washington, Porzingis led the visitors with 13 points, doing most of his damage by crashing the offensive glass and grabbing five rebounds at that end. His effort on the boards was at the root of the Wizards generating nine second-chance points in the first half.
Washington also got meaningful contributions from Kyle Kuzma and Rui Hachimura, who each provided nine points. The latter aggressively sought out his shot, getting to the basket and making some of the elbow jumpers off the dribble that are a staple of his game.
And while the Wizards shot 2/13 from beyond the arc, they largely overcame it by producing 26 points in the paint, mostly capitalizing on Boston's turnovers.
The Celtics should not lose this game, especially after their second-half letdown against Cleveland. To avoid getting upset at home, they need to take care of the ball, maintain focus, and do a better job of limiting the Wizards to one shot per possession in the second half.
Brogdon Carries Boston's Offense in Third Quarter
With 5:31 left in the third frame, Tatum picked off a poor pass from Beal, giving the latter more turnovers than points. At that juncture, Beal was 0/10, including 0/5 from beyond the arc.
With scoring hard to come by, Brogdon's quick first step and ability to get to the foul line fueled a stretch where he produced nine-straight points for Boston. He capped it by dishing to Kornet, quickly getting the ball pitched back to him, then knocking down a three while Kornet screened for him.
That three gave Brogdon 16 points, a figure boosted by him going 6/6 at the stripe.
With 1:49 left, on a possession featuring textbook execution, the Celtics quickly kept the ball moving, culminating in collapsing the defense off the dribble and Grant Williams finding Brown for a three from above the break, giving the host's an 84-68 advantage.
While neither team cracked the 30 points in the third frame, the Celtics committing only one turnover made life easier for them at both ends, helping them take an 87-68 lead into the fourth quarter.
Celtics Make Light Work of Wizards in Final Frame
Boston extended its advantage to 93-68 when Sam Hauser corralled the rebound off a Monte Morris miss, got the ball ahead quickly, then found himself on the receiving end of a kickout pass from Williams and buried a three from just above the left corner.
At that point, Hauser was 3/5 from beyond the arc, which accounted for all of his nine points. He also had five rebounds.
With just under six minutes remaining and the Celtics leading by 19, in a terrific effort play, Brown went to the floor to keep a possession alive and got the ball to Brogdon above the break. With less than four seconds left on the shot clock, Brogdon's up-fake got Anthony Gill to leave his feet and jump above the three-point line.
Brogdon's drive drew Porzingis, and the former kicked the ball out to Kornet in the right corner. With two seconds remaining on the shot clock, Kornet had the awareness and composure to pump fake Porzingis, getting the seven-foot-three center to fly by him. Kornet then took one dribble, moving up the arc, and swished a three, prompting a thunderous ovation from the TD Garden faithful as the host's took a 100-78 lead.
It shouldn't be long before the starters get the rest of the night off.
Sure enough, after a Brogdon bucket, elevating his season-high to 23 points and extended Boston's lead to 102-80 with 5:13 left, Joe Mazzulla emptied his bench.
In the Celtics' 112-94 win, they converted on 21/47 threes (44.7 percent). They also generated 20 free throws, connecting on 19 of them. And after committing seven turnovers in the first half, Boston coughed the ball up only once in the third quarter and six times total in the final two frames.
And while surrendering 46 points in the paint is a figure in need of reduction, the Celtics limited the Wizards to 7/32 (21.9 percent) shooting from beyond the arc. And after giving up nine second-chance points in the first half, they limited Washington to two in the second.
Up Next
The Celtics travel to Cleveland for a rematch with the Cavaliers on Wednesday. The game tips off at 7:30 pm EST. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game coming out before, during, and after. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.
Further Reading
Celtics Reportedly Make Decision On Payton Pritchard's Contract Situation
Once Uncertain Jayson Tatum Has Shown He Is Man For Job For Celtics
A Reflective Grant Williams Discusses His One-Game Suspension: 'I've got to be more mindful'
