After getting blown out in Games 3 and 4, the Boston Celtics were back at their TD Garden in Boston on Wednesday night. They hosted the Washington Wizards in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup. Both teams won their two home games of the series in a convincing fashion and with series tied at 2-2, it was a huge Game 5 for both sides.
Entering Wednesday's matchup the Wizards had lost seven straight road games against the Celtics and haven't won a playoff game in Boston since 1982. It was a sellout crowd of 19,000 fans at TD Garden and a playoff atmosphere at its finest.
The home crowd has been Boston's fuel all series and Wednesday was no different.
Wire to wire victory for the Celtics
After an early 4-2 lead for the Wizards, Boston took control of the game and led all the way to the end. Midway through the first period they already had a double-digit lead at 22-10. After the first 12 minutes of the game, the score was 33-21 for the home team.
The Celtics increased their lead in the second quarter as they outscored Washington 34-30 in the period and held a 67-51 lead at halftime. Avery Bradley scored 25 points for the Celtics in the first half. Teams went back-and-forth in the third quarter and Boston was up 17 points (93-76) heading into the final period of the game.
Their biggest lead was 26 points early in the fourth quarter (107-81) and the final score was 123-101 for Brad Stevens' squad that outrebounded Washington 48-45 in this one.
The Boston Celtics finished the game with 33 team assists and held the Wizards to just 38.5% shooting from the field. Boston connected on 16 of their 33 three-point attempts (48.5%) while holding the away team to just 7-for-29 shooting from behind the arc.
With this loss, the Wizards fell to 2-9 all-time on the road in the playoffs vs. Celtics.
Career night for Avery Bradley
On the night when four Boston starters scored at least 18 points, it was Avery Bradley who led the way. He finished with a playoff career-high 29 points and added six rebounds and three assists. Bradley shot 12-for-19 from the field including 4-for-7 from the three-point line.
It was only the third time Bradley has scored 20 or more points in a playoff game. Al Horford scored 19 points to go along with his six rebounds and seven assists. Isaiah Thomas added 18 points and nine assists while Jae Crowder contributed with 18 points and eight rebounds.
John Wall led the Wizards in scoring with 21 points and four assists. Bradley Beal scored 16 while Kelly Oubre added 13 points off the bench for Washington.
Boston now holds a 3-2 series lead with Game 6 scheduled for Friday night in Washington.
