Averaging 114.5 points per game, the Wizards outscored the Celtics by 129 points. Boston managed to win even though Washington scored at least 35 points in three of the four quarters.
Saying that the Celtics’ opening quarter of the season was among their worst doesn’t seem overly dramatic. It wasn’t the day after they’d played, returned from a lengthy trip to the West Coast, or taken the court without a member of their starting six.
They conceded 18 points in the paint, though. They had no transition defense at all. The Wizards, who led only the Detroit Pistons in the NBA standings going into the evening 9-41 and scored 18 points on the fast break, were a prime example of it.
In addition to its defensive lack of intensity and attention, Boston shot 42.9 percent in the first period, including 3/13 (23.1%) from beyond the arc, and missed four shots in the restricted area. After 12 minutes, Washington had a 35–31 advantage.
Payton Pritchard’s 50-foot heave to beat the buzzer at the end of the period was one of the few bright spots for the C’s.
In response, the hosts opened the second quarter with a 15–6 run. With 11 of those points coming from three-point range, Jayson Tatum gave the Celtics a 46-41 advantage.
Then, though, was the retreat. The visitors had put 36 points on the board in the final 12 minutes before halftime, building on their 35-point first frame total.
While Boston had plenty of energy, their focus was off, they offered little defensive resistance, and their transition defense was nonexistent. One of their worst points was allowing Corey Kispert to enter an open three. Another occurred when Washington’s three players were initially lingering close to one another before getting to the foul line during a fast-break opportunity.
Their defense of the half-court was hardly any better. While Jordan Poole led all players with 19 points before halftime, Jayson Tatum led the club with a team-high 18 points and Kristaps Porzingis scored 16. Additionally, the visitors shot 48.1% overall, including 12/28 (42.9%) from three-point range.
It didn’t help that in the first twenty-four minutes, eight shots were missed in the restricted area. The Celtics had many good opportunities that they failed to take advantage of, but they also shot 4/19 (21.1%) from beyond the arc as a result of their inability to produce enough in-rhythm threes.
Boston trailed 71-64 at halftime as a result of its difficulties on both sides of the court.
The Wizards faced opponents who currently had a winning record 1-25 before this game. This season, they are the third club to score 70 points or more in the first half against the Celtics. According to Dick Lipe of NBC Sports Boston, the other teams were the Philadelphia 76ers and the Milwaukee Bucks.
However, the team that had taken the court for the hosts at halftime did not resemble the team at the bottom of the NBA standings after the first twenty-four minutes of play. Instead, it resembled the team at the top of the rankings.
As a lockdown on-ball defender, Jrue Holiday was blowing up possession after possession; Jaylen Brown stonewalled Deni Avdija as he attempted to generate separation before launching a three-pointer; and the Celtics returned to their disciplined, focused, and cohesive defense.
They shot 31.8 percent and scored 16 points against the visiting team, but they also made almost 60% of their field goal attempts, including 4 of 9 three-pointers.
In addition to scoring eighteen points in the paint, Boston also received points from Tatum, Porzingis, and PritchaWith 12 minutes remaining, their two-way domination had still given them a 100-84 lead.
Pritchard exploited the energy from watching that shot splash through the net to score eight points in the last period, probing the paint and displaying a soft touch around the rim, even if his effort to beat the buzzer again failed to release his hand in time.rd, who almost scored another buzzer-beater but missed the mark.
Holiday, who had a terrific game at both ends of the floor in the second half, also scored ten points for the hosts on 4/4 shooting.
The Celtics’ defensive woes continued as they let up forty points in the final quarter, losing concentration in the process as Washington moved from trailing 127-113 with 2:12 remaining to trailing by seven with 51.1 seconds remaining.
Nevertheless, Boston put the finishing touches on a 133-129 victory despite an unimpressive showing thanks to a Porzingis step-back jumper and Tatum and Al Horford going 1/2 from the free-throw line.
The Miami Heat and the Celtics will square off at the Kaseya Center on Super Bowl Sunday. At 2:00 EST, the game will begin.
