The Boston Celtics picked up a third-consecutive victory Sunday night with a win over the Washington Wizards, 130-121, at TD Garden.
The Celtics improved to 16-4 on the year, while the Wizards dropped to 10-10.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Celtics were without the NBA’s leading scorer in Jayson Tatum on Sunday night, but they had no problem putting points on the board.
Boston took it to Washington on the offensive end, outpacing them in just about every category one could think of. The biggest scoring disparities came in the form of bench points (Boston – 46; Washington – 36) and 3-point field goal percentage (47.1%; 25%). There’s no wonder, because for most of the night Boston could not miss.
All five Celtics starters had a positive plus/minus, as that unit dominated their counterpart. The unit combined to score 84 points, with the majority of their damage being done in a 72-point first half. When the bench came in, things got ugly for a while as Boston went nearly five minutes without a made field goal. Luckily, a few bench contributors were able to hold Washington off before things got too close for comfort.
Sam Hauser continued shooting lights out from beyond the arc (3-for-4). Malcolm Brogdon pitched in from all over the place, scoring 17 points, grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists. Luke Kornet continued to show off his odd contest while impacting the game offensively with 12 points and defensively with two blocks.
From top to bottom, the Celtics proved to be a more well rounded basketball team — even without their star in Tatum.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Jaylen Brown took over in the scoring department for the missing Tatum, reminding Celtics fans how nice it is to have two superstars. He scored 36 points on 13-for-23 shooting and added five rebounds and two assists.
— Marcus Smart’s playmaking abilities were on full display without Tatum, as the veteran point guard finished with 14 points and seven assists.
— Kristaps Porzingis was Washington’s best player in pretty dreadful day for the Wizards. He scored 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting, pitching in four rebounds.
WAGER WATCH
Al Horford got the scoring started against Washington and made some bettors a nice chunk of change in the process. DraftKings Sportsbook set the odds of the 36-year-old opening the scoring at +800 prior to the start of the game. His 3-point make in the first minute would have netted a $900 payout on a $100 bet.
UP NEXT
The Celtics will continue their extended homestand Monday night against the Charlotte Hornets. Tipoff from TD Garden is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
