Four Studs, Two Duds From Celtics Convincing Win Over Wizards
The Boston Celtics continued to dominate the last-place Washington Wizards, winning the first three games of the season series.
The Celtics, who beat the Wizards by 20 and 12 points, respectively, in two previous matchups, made easy work of Washington on Sunday night at Capital One Arena by cruising to a 112-98 win. Boston moved to 21-5 on the season and has more wins in Washington’s home arena than the Wizards this season.
Here are four studs and two duds from a lopsided 14-point win for the Celtics:
STUDS
The Celtics star led all scorers with 28 points on 12-for-26 shooting across 35 minutes. He added 12 rebounds for his fourth straight double-double game. He has 12 on the season.
Payton Pritchard
Off the bench, Pritchard scored 15 points for the Celtics across a team-high 37 minutes. He shot 50% from beyond the arc and collected 11 rebounds for Boston.
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Kristaps Porzingis
Even though the big man exited the game in the second quarter, Porzingis scored 11 points in 11 minutes against his former team. He was 5-for-6 from the field and 1-for-2 from downtown.
Luke Kornet
With Porzingis not available for the second half and Al Horford out (rest), Kornet gave the Celtics valuable minutes and points off the bench. Kornet scored seven points and collected 11 rebounds in 27 minutes for Boston.
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DUDS
Jonas Valanciunas
Valanciunas has been very solid for the Wizards off the bench in limited playing time this season, averaging 12.4 points per game. However, the center couldn’t get anything going for Washington, knocking down just one shot for two points in his team’s loss.
Wizards Bench
Jayson Tatum has 28 points and 12 rebounds in the Celtics’ 112-98 victory over the Wizards
WASHINGTON (AP) Jayson Tatum had 28 points and 12 rebounds and the Boston Celtics cruised to a 112-98 victory over the Washington Wizards on Sunday night.
Tatum had missed two of Boston’s previous four games with a knee issue. He helped the Celtics win their seventh straight over the Wizards and third in Washington this season.
Payton Pritchard added 15 points on five 3-pointers, and Derrick White also had 15 points.
Jordan Poole led Washington with 21 points, and Bilal Coulibaly added 19. The Wizards have lost three in a row and 16 of 17.
Celtics: Kristaps Porzingis scored 11 points in 11 minutes before he was forced out with right heel pain. The 29-year-old forward was making his seventh appearance of the season, all of those coming since Nov. 25.
Wizards: Justin Champagnie had 13 points and 14 rebounds, and Bub Carrington added 11 points and 10 rebound.
Tatum hit three baskets during a 15-0 run that spanned across the first and second quarters, including a pull-up 3 with four seconds left in the first to stretch Boston’s lead to 11 points. White’s 3-pointer early in the second completed the run, making it 39-23.
The Celtics had a 16-1 free-throw advantage in the first half and finished at 24-8.
Both teams are back in action Thursday night. Boston hosts Chicago, and Washington hosts Charlotte.
