Celtics Wizards Recap



The Celtics defeated the Wizards 136-107 to get back on track after a 2-game skid, putting them at 4-5 on the season. 

Once again, the Celtics gave up a big quarter defensively, allowing the Wizards to score 37 points in the first quarter. They were getting outworked early, allowing 4 offensive rebounds for 13 second-chance points, as well as fouling 7 times, which led to 10 attempted free throws. 

Jaylen Brown kept the game in the balance early, scoring 16 of the Celtics 26 points in the first. The jump shot was not falling early once again, leading to a stagnant offense. 

Things quickly changed in the second quarter with an offensive explosion, scoring 44 points on 66% shooting. Payton Pritchard did much of the scoring in the 2nd, scoring 16 points. This quarter was a much more balanced approach, with 20 points in the paint along with 10 free throws. Neemias Queta and Josh Minott both excelled at rolling to the rim and making themselves lob targets, combining for 11 points in the quarter. 

Defensively, they got back to their old ways, playing with considerably more energy and physicality. Only 18 shots were attempted because the Celtics were able to force 6 turnovers. Despite a rough start, the Celtics led 70-60 at halftime. 

Coming out of halftime, the offense continued its hot shooting, scoring 32 points with ease. 7 different players were able to get a bucket, with Jaylen Brown being the leading scorer with 11 points. On defense, they continued their attack at the ball, forcing 7 turnovers and holding the Wizards to just 20 points. 

Entering the 4th, the Celtics had a 22-point lead and never looked back, with 2 starters not playing in the quarter. Anfernee Simons would do much of the damage in the 4th, scoring 13 of the Celtics 34 points to help walk away with a 29-point victory. 

                              The good

The offense dominated in the final 3 quarters of the game. The 2nd and 3rd quarters have been a struggle so far this season, but they were not in this game, scoring a combined 76 points. 

Jaylen Brown was excellent once again, scoring 30 or more points for the 4th time in 5 games. Josh Minott and Neemias Queta were huge in this game, combining for 36 points. Both played as rim rollers and lob threats, creating easy buckets for the offense. 

Jordan Walsh showed some flashes, playing excellent defense as well as scoring 7 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. If Walsh can have this level of production in limited minutes, this would give another boost to a young bench unit.

Derrick White was able to shoot 50% for the first time this season while playing his typical excellent defense, recording 3 steals and 2 blocks. 

For the game, the Celtics shot 54% from the field and 39% from the floor, along with 31 assists. The Celtics took 41 threes, a few less than their typical average, and it worked. The offense is at its best when they play with a balance and in rhythm. 

For the game, the Celtics recorded 12 steals and forced 19 turnovers, holding the Wizards to just 107 points. They had a bad first quarter but were able to quickly settle in, not allowing the Wizards to get any easy shots. 

                              The bad

While the defense was excellent for most of the game, they once again allowed a 35+ point quarter. Against a struggling Wizards team, these types of quarters cannot happen. 

Sam Hauser once again shot poorly, going 1/8 from the floor while playing 22 minutes. With Hauser's limited skillset, Joe Mazzulla has to recognize when Hauser is struggling and keep his minutes sparse. 

                            Conclusion 

The Celtics got contributions from everyone on both sides of the ball in this game. Joe Mazzulla has been playing 10-12 players in games all season, and it worked to perfection in this one. 

Offensively and defensively, there was a balanced approach, which allowed for the Celtics to walk away with a comfortable win. They will travel to Orlando on Friday night to face a 3-5 Orlando Magic team in a building where they have struggled in the past few years. Can the Celtics get back to .500? Or will they continue the road of inconsistency? 






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