With Capital One Area full of Boston followers, the Celtics celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with a 130-104 blowout of the Wizards.
Shorthanded with out Jaylen Brown (again, Kristaps Porzingis (hamstring), and Derrick White (hand), the Celtics began with Jrue Vacation, Sam Hauser, Oshae Brissett, Jayson Tatum, and Al Horford.
With three of their top-4 scorers on the bench, Tatum took over early. After scoring 18 factors of Boston’s 45 factors within the first quarter, JT had 30 factors (5-of-10 from 3) in three quarters. In his twenty seventh begin of the common season, Horford scored 14 and pulled down 4 rebounds.
The Keep Prepared group was rock regular within the nation’s capital. Hauser caught hearth, hitting 10-of-13 from behind the arc, together with 7-of-9 within the first half. Sadly, halfway by means of the third quarter with Marcus Sensible’s file of 11 threes in a recreation in attain, Hauser sprained his left ankle backpedaling into the Washington bench and headed to the locker room to a standing ovation. He completed with a career-high 30 factors.
Payton Pritchard chipped with a double-double of 14 factors and 13 assists (a career-high). Luke Kornet had one other stable outing with 14 and 6 and two blocks.
With a 9.5-game lead over the Bucks within the East and 6-game over Oklahoma Metropolis for the general #1 seed within the playoffs, the Celtics have the posh to prioritize well being and relaxation over their closing sixteen video games. Regardless of their lead, they’ve remained sharp and have, the truth is, gotten sharper. Throughout their 7-2 march in March (earlier than tonight), they’ve flexed a internet score of 17.8 with their historic offense peaking at 127 factors per 100 possessions and their protection bettering each month since December.
The Celtics will host the Wizards within the closing recreation of the season on April 14 again in Boston, however earlier than that, they’ll be in TD Backyard tomorrow with the Detroit Pistons at 7:30 pm EST on the town on the backend of a back-to-back and the primary of two within the homestand earlier than heading out for his or her closing prolonged highway journey.
