Inside The Celtics

Here's What Stood Out as Celtics Beat Wizards Despite Defensive Disaster

The Celtics gave up 129 points to a Wizards team that averages 114.5. Washington scored at least 35 in three of four quarters, but Boston did enough to prevail.

Bobby Krivitsky

Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

It's not hyperbolic to say Friday night's first quarter was one of the worst the Celtics have played this season. It wasn't on the heels of returning from an extended stay on the West Coast, playing the day before, or taking the floor without one of their top six.

Yet they gave up 18 points in the paint. Their transition defense was non-existent. The Wizards, who entered the evening 9-41, ahead of only the Detroit Pistons in the NBA standings, manufacturing 18 on the fast break, exemplified that.

Along with its lack of focus and physicality defensively, Boston missed four attempts in the restricted area in the first frame and shot 42.9 percent, including 3/13 (23.1 percent) from beyond the arc. Washington led 35-31 after the first 12 minutes.

One of the few redeeming moments for the C's was when Payton Pritchard banked in a 50-foot heave to beat the buzzer at the end of the period.

The hosts responded with a 15-6 run to start the second quarter. Jayson Tatum produced 11 of those points, scoring from all three levels, propelling the Celtics to a 46-41 lead.

But then came the backslide. By the time halftime arrived, the visitors had followed up their 35-point first frame by putting 36 on the board in the 12 minutes before intermission.

Boston's energy wasn't lacking, but the hosts weren't focused, there was minimal resistance defensively, and their transition defense remained non-existent. One lowlight was when they let Corey Kispert walk into an open three. Another was when Washington got to the foul line on a fast-break opportunity where three of its players were initially hovering near each other.

Their half-court defense wasn't much better. While Tatum scored a team-high 18 points and Kristaps Porzingis generated 16, Jordan Poole paced all participants, putting 19 on the board before the break. And the visitors shot 48.1 percent from the floor, including 12/28 (42.9 percent) from three-point range.

Missing eight shots in the restricted area in the first 24 minutes didn't help either. The Celtics created a bunch of quality looks they didn't capitalize on, but not generating enough in-rhythm threes also fed into shooting 4/19 (21.1 percent) from behind the arc.

Boston's struggles at both ends of the court resulted in trailing 71-64 at intermission.

The Wizards entered this contest 1-25 against teams currently with a winning record. They're the third team to score 70 or more first-half points against the Celtics this season. The others were the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers, per Dick Lipe of NBC Sports Boston.

But when halftime ended, the team that took the parquet for the hosts looked like the one sitting atop the NBA standings, not the group that looked like it belonged at the bottom of it in the opening 24 minutes.

Jrue Holiday was blowing up one possession after another as a lockdown on-ball defender; Jaylen Brown stonewalled Deni Avdija as he tried to create separation before bricking a three, and the Celtics got back to defending with force, focus, and connectivity.

They held the visitors to 16 points on 31.8 percent shooting while converting on nearly 60% of their attempts from the field, including 4/9 threes.

Boston manufactured 18 points in the paint, got 14 points from Porzingis, 13 from Tatum, and nearly another buzzer-beater by Pritchard, but his shot didn't count.

Still, their two-way dominance staked them to a 100-84 advantage with 12 minutes left.

And while his attempt to again beat the buzzer didn't leave his hand in time, Pritchard parlayed the momentum from seeing that shot splash through the net into eight points in the final frame, probing the paint and demonstrating a soft touch around the basket.

The hosts also got ten points on 4/4 shooting from Holiday, who had a strong showing at both ends of the court in the second half.

The Celtics gave up 40 points in another abysmal quarter defensively, including losing focus at the end as Washington went from trailing 127-113 with 2:12 left to being down by seven with 51.1 seconds left.

But a Porzingis step-back jumper and Tatum and Al Horford going 1/2 at the free-throw line was enough for Boston to apply the finishing touches on a 133-129 victory in an underwhelming performance.

The Celtics are on to a Super Bowl Sunday showdown against the Miami Heat at the Kaseya Center. That game will tip off at 2:00 EST.

Further Reading

Brad Stevens Discusses Celtics' Plan for Final Roster Spot

Brad Stevens Sheds Light on Celtics' Motivations for Xavier Tillman Trade

Celtics Swing Savvy Deal with 76ers for Jaden Springer

Celtics React to Xavier Tillman Trade: 'We Paid a Lot of Attention to Him'

Brad Stevens on Jaden Springer: ‘He’s a Guy We’ve Been Tracking for a While'

Marcus Smart Shares How Boston Shaped Him, His Message to Celtics Fans

Celtics Maturation Molded by Experience: 'It Builds, Like, an Armor'

Fixated on Winning, Jayson Tatum Again Proves He's Not 'Bored Making the Right Play Over and Over'

Jaylen Brown Quieting Doubters, Validating What He Always Believed: 'Earn Everybody's Trust'

Joe Mazzulla Discusses Identity, Evolution of Celtics' Offense: 'Balance of Pace and Execution'

Published
Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

Home/Analysis