In what was an overtime thriller in Game 2 where Isaiah Thomas went off for 53 points, the Boston Celtics took a 2-0 series lead over the Washington Wizards. The same theme played out for the Wizards on Tuesday, as they jumped out to an early lead and had control of the game for the most part, but crumbled late in the game when the pressure was at its highest.
In Game 2, John Wall, who netted 40 points and dished out 13 assists, received very little help from his teammates. Bradley Beal only scored 14 points on 4-of-15 shooting from the field and 1-of-9 from three-point range.
He also had six turnovers and was a minus-10 on the floor.
John Wall needs more help in Game 3
After Wall did most of everything for his team in Game 2, it’s obvious that he needs more help from his teammates especially his backcourt mate, Beal. Markieff Morris was the second highest scorer for Washington on Tuesday with 16 points. However, Otto Porter Jr. and Beal’s poor shooting made it easier for the Celtics to cover Wall, who was exhausted late in the fourth and during overtime.
Containing Isaiah Thomas
After Isaiah Thomas recorded 53 points in Game 2, the Wizards must game plan for the All-Star point guard. Thomas was simply breaking down Washington’s defense using high screen and rolls, getting anywhere he wanted on the floor.
He scored 29 points in the fourth quarter and overtime combined to lead his team to victory.
The Wizards will probably look to trap him more on those screens, but they need the versatility and defensive quickness to recover. Essentially, Washington’s big men may need to show harder on those screens to force Thomas into difficult passes or push him further to the perimeter and recover.
It’s going to be a tough task, but it’s clear that the Wizards must be more physical with him.
The battle of the benches
The difference between Washington’s bench and Boston’s bench in Game 2 was that everyone contributed for the Celtics, while only Jason Smith and Kelly Oubre Jr. were affective for the Wizards. Brandon Jennings and Bojan Bogdanovic, the two mid-season acquisitions for Washington, went scoreless.
The two were brought in to bolster the bench and provide more scoring but were complete non-factors in Game 2.
Meanwhile, Boston’s bench totaled 33 points, led by Terry Rozier’s 12 points, six rebounds, and four assists. He was a game-high plus-25 on the floor. Marcus Smart added nine points, five assists, four rebounds, and two steals, while Kelly Olynyk put in eight points. Rookie Jaylen Brown even provided four points in limited time.
The Wizards have plenty of adjustments they need to make ahead of Game 3. This is a must win for them since they cannot afford to go down 0-3 in the series. The game is set for 8 pm Eastern Time on TNT.
