Inside The Celtics

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Loss vs. Wizards: Cold Shooting Dooms Boston in Costly Defeat

The Celtics' struggles overcoming or adapting to poor performances from behind the arc is a massive concern for them in the playoffs. Living and dying by the three is unlikely to lead to banner 18.

Bobby Krivitsky

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Even when the Celtics generated quality looks from beyond the arc, they often missed the mark. Boston finished the night 11/44 (25 percent) from long range.

Those misses led to a lack of resistance defensively, especially in transition, where the visitors also did a poor job matching up. And in the halfcourt, a lack of on-ball pressure further fed into the Wizards producing 62 points in the paint.

Washington converting six offensive rebounds into a 14-10 advantage in second-chance points didn't help either. It was 12-6 before Mazzulla went to the reserves, who narrowed that gap.

The hosts also parlayed 12 Celtics' turnovers into 16 points, a significant factor in them claiming a 19-11 edge in fast-break buckets.

Kristaps Porzingis, dominant in victory, led all scorers with 32 points. He also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds and dished out six assists. Deni Avdija registered 25 points, ten rebounds, and five assists.

Jayson Tatum finished with a team-best 28 points, pairing it with nine rebounds, which also led Boston, and five assists, tying Marcus Smart for a team-high.

Jaylen Brown contributed 18 points and four assists, and Malcolm Brogdon scored 13 off the bench.

The Wizards' 130-111 win may cost the defending Eastern Conference champions their last hope of reclaiming the one seed entering the playoffs. The Celtics now trail the Bucks by 2.5 games. They lead the third-seeded Sixers by five.

But more important than the loss, this is another example of Boston struggling to overcome or adapt to a poor performance from behind the arc. If the Celtics are living and dying by the three, it's highly unlikely they'll be the last team left standing in the playoffs.

Now, a deep dive into what stood out in each quarter of Washington's 130-111 win over Boston.

Missed Shots Hurt the Celtics' Effort Defensively in the First Frame

Boston started the game with a lot of energy and mostly played the right way at both ends of the floor. But the Celtics' effort diminished as shots continued to be off the mark. That it was happening even when generating quality looks made it even more frustrating for the visitors.

Boston shot 40 percent from the field in the first quarter, including 3/9 (33.3 percent) from beyond the arc, putting only 23 points on the board in the first 12 minutes.

Despite that, Jayson Tatum led all scorers with 11 points. And to the Celtics' credit, they defended the three-point line well, limiting the Wizards to 1/8 (12.5 percent).

But misses led to a lack of physicality and defensive resistance, especially in transition. That also applies to when Washington pushed off makes, and the combination resulted in the hosts producing 20 points in the paint.

Kristaps Porzingis paced the Wizards with ten points in the opening quarter.

Cold Shooting and a Lack of Defensive Resistance Plague Celtics in Second Quarter

Boston's ball movement improved appreciably to start the second frame. A play where a skip pass from Marcus Smart from the right wing to the opposite corner led to a quick swing pass from Grant Williams to Tatum, who drove downhill for a dunk, exemplified that.

It seemed like that might help the visitors get back to playing with the energy they started the game with, but an 11-3 run by Washington, with the hosts catching fire from beyond the arc, boosted their lead back to double digits, pulling ahead 46-36 with 4:30 left in the first half.

In a cold-shooting quarter where the Celtics again put less than 30 points on the board (28) and went 4/16 (25 percent) from beyond the arc, their long-range struggles, often a case of quality attempts not going down, impacted their energy and defensive resistance, especially in transition.

Seeing tough shots go down for the Wizards also seemed to impact their energy. A prime example was when Porzingis, after he couldn't launch a three over Brown despite multiple up-fakes, side-stepped, still had the two-time All-Star in his airspace but buried an attempt from behind the arc anyway.

On Washington's following possession, pushing off a make, Corey Kispert got all the way to the cup, missed his layup, but got to the ball before the three opposing players around the rim and cleaned up his miss.

Porzingis rubbed salt in the wound with a buzzer-beater from slightly above the foul line, giving the Wizards a 64-51 advantage at halftime.

Porzingis and Tatum led all scorers with 20 points apiece.

Smart registered 14 points and dished out four assists. Jaylen Brown contributed eight, and Boston got eight off the bench from Malcolm Brogdon.

But shooting 7/25 (28 percent) from beyond the arc and surrendering 36 points in the paint were killers for the Celtics. It's one thing for the opposition to make well-contested shots, but it's another for them to get to the rim consistently with minimal resistance.

Boston needs to play with more energy and physicality defensively in the second half, including defending better in transition and being more prepared for the Wizards to push off makes.

The visitors also need to do a better job on the defensive glass. The hosts have a 10-4 edge in second-chance points.

Not attempting a free throw in the first 24 minutes didn't help, either.

More of the Same for the Celtics in the Third Quarter

Not pushing the pace enough on offense or pressuring the ball on defense hurt the Celtics at the start of the third frame.

Washington outscored them 16-9 by the 7:24 mark, including a Kispert three that grew the hosts' lead to 20, 80-60, their largest advantage of the night to that point.

Perhaps, an emphatic Jaylen Brown jam will provide a spark for Boston.

Narrator: It didn't.

After outscoring the Celtics, 35-27, the Wizards entered the fourth quarter with a 99-78 edge.

While it may prove too late, the defending Eastern Conference champions mixed up their shot selection more in the third frame, manufacturing 16 points in the paint to Washington's ten. That also helped them take six free throws, capitalizing on each attempt.

If Boston can pair that with a (significantly) better performance defensively in the last 12 minutes, the Celtics have a chance to salvage this game.

Celtics' Reserves Make it Interesting, but Can't Complete Fourth-Quarter Comeback

Careless turnovers didn't help the cause. At the start of the final frame, that fell on Brown, who twice dribbled into multiple defenders and got the ball stripped from him, leading to a Kispert layup and a Denji Avdija dunk that put the hosts ahead 107-85 with 9:22 left.

That prompted Joe Mazzulla to take a timeout, during which he made nearly wholesale changes, deploying a unit of Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Grant Williams, Mike Muscala, and Luke Kornet.

That group provided an infusion of energy, staging a 12-2 run and cutting the deficit as low as 13. 

At that point, Mazzulla probably should've gone to the starters to see if they could meet the moment, but he stuck with the most deserving players.

Unfortunately for the Celtics, they never truly threatened to complete their comeback, as the Wizards closed out a 130-111 win over Boston.

Up Next

The Celtics travel to Milwaukee for a showdown against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks Thursday night; tip-off is at 7:30 pm EST. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game before, during, and afterward. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.

Further Reading

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Former Warriors' Director of Performance Keke Lyles Shares His Perspective on Load Management, Changing Stephen Curry's Movement Patterns, And What's Helped Jayson Tatum's Durability

Jaylen Brown Embraces Leadership Role in Celtics' Victory Over San Antonio Spurs

Jayson Tatum Provides Insight on Summer Conference Call with Jaylen Brown and Brad Stevens Amid Kevin Durant Trade Rumors

Devin McCourty Expresses Admiration for Jaylen Brown: 'I'm Excited to See What His Growth Looks Like and How He's Able to Impact the Community'

Jaylen Brown Addresses Non-Committal Comments About Celtics' Future: 'I'm Focused on Helping Lead My Team for Another Playoff Run'

Jayson Tatum on Robert Williams' Impact on the Celtics: 'We’re Just a Different Team'

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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.

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