Welp, the Celtics are still working in the new guys in and while it was ugly, they get their second straight win over the Wizards, 100-94 in overtime.
It felt like a repeat of Saturday’s game as the Celtics come out strong to an 11-2 run and everyone getting a bunch of assists. Paul Pierce was playing like a man on a mission, knocking down a three and getting to the line early. But once KG came out, the Wizards crept back into it despite shooting 29% from the field to make it 21-16 at the end of the first. KG had 9 boards in the quarter and Rondo had 6 points & 2 assists.
The second was just an ugly quarter to watch. The offense just couldn’t hit any open looks and the Wizards continued to jack up three pointers and ugly shots. The problem is that eventually some of them began to fall for the Wizards. Martell Webster got 8 of his 16 points in the quarter. The Wizards bench dropped 27 in the first half compared to the Celtics 10, which gave the Wizards a five-point lead at halftime.
Kevin’s night continued to get better as he scored the Celtics first seven points to tie the game at 42. The poor shooting continued for both teams but finally midway through the quarter, bench came to life. Jason Terry got 7 points on 3-5 shooting and Chris Wilcox got 6 points in 3 minutes to help give the Celtics a 68-58 lead.
The game continued to feel like deja vu as the Wizards stayed in this game as Bradley Beal hit some jumpers and AJ Price hit some moonshots to eventually tie the game at 80 with 3 minutes to go. After Rondo hit a pair of free throws, Beal hit a wide open 3 to give the Wizards a 83-82 lead. After a Brandon Bass missed jumper, KG managed to tips a Kevin Seraphin pass and gets control of the ball and gets fouled but he also gets called for a tech for throwing a phantom elbow. Seraphin hit the technical free throw and then KG hit both free throws to tie the game at 84.
KG’s defense on Seraphin would also work in the next possession as he has him trapped near the half court line and Paul Pierce comes in for the steal & the foul. Truth hits 1 of 2 from the line. The Wizards respond with a Martell Webster brainfart which leads to Pierce getting a steal & passing to Rondo who gets fouled. Rondo hits 1 of 2 from the line to make it a two point lead. The Wizards catch a break in the next possession as Pierce gets caught literally running through a screen and Webster redeems himself by making both free throws to tie the game. Rondo responds with a step back mid range jumper that hits nothing but the bottom of the net to give the Celtics the lead. Chris Singleton wasn’t having any of it though as he got an open look at the rim and he decides to take out all of his anger on it & ties it once again. The Celtics get one last chance and Rondo pulls up for a three and bricks it. Overtime!
Usually people like free basketball but not tonight. Overtime started with some wild shots but eventually the Wizards & Celtics trade some baskets to get it to 92-92 with about 2:30 left. Brandon Bass would then score five straight points in overtime by attacking the basket and running the court which basically sealed the victory for the Celtics.
Garnett had himself a hell of a night as he finished with 20 points, 13 rebounds & 2 blocks. Rondo got his 29th straight double-double, good for third best all-time, as he had 18 points & 14 assists on 7 of 11 shooting. Jason Terry finished with 16 (yay!) on 15 shots (boo!). Still….PROGRESS!
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