Celtics fall to Wizards 133-132 in Double Over Time
Meant in the most complimentary way possible… Who is this team, where did that come from, and who saw this one coming?
For the second time in as many days the Boston Celtics faced-off against the Washington Wizards. On a night where Paul Pierce passed Reggie Miller to become the NBA’s 16th All-Time Leading Scorer, the Wizards played like the Eastern Conference contender they’re forecasted to be. The Celtics, however, played like a team of destiny. On a stellar effort by the Boston Celtics bench and a 30 point night by Jeff Green, the boys were able to overcome Paul Pierce and the Wizards in overtime on Monday night.
After a much needed exhilarating win at home yesterday in Boston, the Celtics were looking to capitalize on that momentum to win four in a row- something they have not done since November of 2013. Drawing equal inspiration from Sunday’s matinee, the Wizards were not about to let their rematch slip away. After a closely contested first half, Washington capitalized on green sluggishness and closed out the second quarter on a 12-2 run to lead 58-45 heading into halftime.
The Wizards came out firing in the second half and were able to grow that lead to 23 points before the Celtics showed signs of life headed into the 4th quarter. “Signs of life” might be putting it lightly since the exact opposite of what we’ve seen from this Boston team hit the floor for the final 12 minutes. Punctuated by some big plays by Evan Turner, the Celtics bench come out SWINGING.
Lead by an defensive explosion packed with effort and energy, Marcus Thornton, Evan Turner, Marcus Smart, Kelly Olynyk, and Brandon Bass overcame a 23 point deficit and sent the game into overtime following a Jeff Green-vs-Miami-esque hero three by Evan Turner with :00.6 left on the clock.
This was only the beginning as the C’s and Wiz battled through two overtimes full of herculean efforts by Jeff Green, Marcus Smart, and Kelly Olynyk.
This was only the beginning as the C’s and Wiz battled through two overtimes full of herculean efforts by Jeff Green, Marcus Smart, and Kelly Olynyk.
It came down to late game heroics and highlight plays by Paul Pierce and John Wall as the Wizards were able to overcome the Celtics eye-opening effort to defeat Boston 133-132 in Washington.
It will always be a tale of two halves in the NBA, but if the C’s can find a way to marry this specific instance of fourth quarter effort with their first half energy output, the next 63 games should be just as fun to watch. The Celtics bench put up 82 points- the most points by the Celtics bench in team history. No Bradley, no Rondo, no Sully, no sweat.
Looking Ahead, the Celtics will be playing the Hornets in Charlotte on Wednesday before returning to Boston on Friday to do battle with the New York Knicks.
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Photo Source: ESPN
