Damn, this team is a tease. The Celtics raced out to another fast start (30-14 1st quarter) only to gradually fall apart over the final 3 quarters.
Once the Wizards ramped up their defense in the 2nd half, the Celtics wilted. They got sloppy and lazy. I believe 9 of their 12 TOs came in the 2nd half.
This was a very winnable game for Boston. Instead, they were served a 106-99 loss.
Green:
How about Avery Bradley’s scoring binge in the 4th quarter? 13 of his 26 came in the final 12 minutes. He scored 10 straight points during a stretch that allowed the Celtics to briefly stretch their lead.
Jared Sullinger (22 points, 11 rebounds) was a steady force. He was outplaying some bigger guys (Gortat, Nene). He carried the team in the 1st quarter (10 points) and single-handedly staved off a Washington run with 8 consecutive points early in the 3rd quarter.
Phil Pressey had 5 assists in 14 minutes. He helped get the offense back on track during a couple of stretches in the 2nd and 4th quarters.
Gross:
The defense on Trevor Ariza (27 points, 5-8 3FG, 8 rebounds) was awful non-existent.
Paging Jeff Green. Mr. Jeff Green please report to the Garden. 13 points on 4-13 FG.
Greenlights:
Seal, bucket and 1 by Jared Sullinger
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OkPHLNOp7c]Hump’s hustle play
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96KgypxZjm0]Crawford’s floater
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKKn9X0WO2c]Grid:
- Celtics reserves were outscored 37-16
- Kelly Olynyk and Courtney Lee combined for 0 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist in 14 minutes
- Boston was 4-20 from 3
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