The Boston Celtics stayed hot on Thursday, destroying the Washington Wizards 146-101 in their biggest win of the season.
Despite not having Jaylen Brown (illness) for Thursday night’s road matchup, the Celtics cruised to their third straight win and biggest victory of the year. The 146 points and plus-45-point differential were both season highs for Boston, which had seven players score in double figures.
The surging Celtics continued their recent rise up the Eastern Conference standings. They’re now 13-9 after winning eight of their last 10 games, climbing to the fifth seed in the East. They also have the fifth-best point differential in the NBA.
Derrick White led the way for Boston with 30 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. Jordan Walsh popped off for a season-high 22 points, and the Celtics are now 8-2 since he joined the starting lineup.
Payton Pritchard stuffed the stat sheet with 20 points, eight assists and six rebounds, while Neemias Queta had 17 points. Anfernee Simons contributed 16 points off the bench, while Hugo Gonzalez scored a career-high 14 points and Josh Minott chipped in 11.
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Boston won every quarter, dominating from start to finish. The Celtics pulled away in the second half, outscoring the Wizards by 38 points and dropping them to 3-18. They’re now 2-0 against Washington this year with a plus-74 point differential.
C.J. McCollum scored 22 points in the loss for the Wizards, while Khris Middleton had 16 points and Kyshawn George had 15.
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Boston returns home to host the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night. The Lakers are also on the second half of a back-to-back after beating the Toronto Raptors on Thursday, although they’re expected to be without Luka Doncic (personal) again.
The Celtics will go for their fourth straight win at TD Garden and fourth consecutive victory overall. The game tips off at 7 pm ET.
Featured image via Paul Rutherford/Imagn Images
