On Monday night, it all came down to a decisive Game 7 with the Wizards vs. Celtics at TD Garden in Boston. Despite a huge performance from Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal, Isaiah Thomas and the Boston Celtics were able to get the 115-105 victory at home.
That means that the Celtics will move on to face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Here's a look at how the Celtics capture this huge win in the elimination game against the Wizards on Monday evening.
How the Celtics won
It's no surprise that this season's All-Star team leader, Isaiah Thomas, led the scoring effort in tonight's win.
Thomas scored 29 points on 9-for-21 shooting including a 3-for-5 three-point shooting rate. He also dished out 12 assists to his teammates, had one steal, and two rebounds. It was his teammate Kelly Olynyk providing a huge contribution off the bench as well.
Olynyk finished with 26 points on 10-for-14 shooting and had four assists along with five rebounds. Al Horford, Jae Crowder, and Marcus Smart all finished in double-digits as well for a Celtics' team that shot 53.2 percent from the floor and 42.3 percent from downtown in the win.
For the Wizards, Bradley Beal gave it his all in this effort for Washington tonight. Beal had a game-high 38 points on 12-for-22 shooting which including him hitting five of the 10 three-point shots he attempted.
John Wall added 18 points while dishing out 11 assists. Otto Porter Jr. also had a big night with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Markieff Morris had 18 points and nine boards.
However, one area that was seriously lacking in tonight's effort for the Wizards was bench contributions. The team got a total of five points from those players, and they all came from Bojan Bogdanovic.
He saw 16 minutes of game time, while Ian Mahinmi had 11 minutes and went 0-for-1 from the floor.
As a team, Washington shot 36-for-80 or 45 percent. The Wizards outrebounded Boston 43-31, but had 15 turnovers compared to just eight for the home team which also shot exceptionally well. Now that the dust has settled, the Wizards go back home to watch the rest of the postseason action, while the Celtics prepare for their next matchup.
What's up next?
The Washington Wizards are officially done for their 2017 NBA Playoffs run. The team certainly won't be excited to be eliminated, but there's no reason to hang heads low as this team is certainly on the upswing.
Behind the talented backcourt of Wall and Beal, as well as big men such as Marcin Gortat and Markieff Morris, this team should be among the top contenders again next season. They may look to add some more depth in specific areas via free agency signings, trades, or June's NBA Draft.
For the Boston Celtics, they're now into the Eastern Conference Finals and will take on a rested Cleveland Cavaliers team. The two squads meet up for Game 1 of their series starting on Wednesday, May 17th starting at 8:30 p.m. ET in Cleveland. This game will be televised on TNT for viewers to enjoy around the United States, with live streaming on the TNTDrama website and any compatible TNT mobile apps.