isaiah thomas had 53 points, the Celtics locked up in overtime, and the Boston Celtics now own a 2-0 series lead over the Washington Wizards. John Wall had 40 points and 13 assists, but his late-game heroics didn't pan out for the Wizards.
Isaiah Thomas just went ballistic in the fourth quarter and overtime. On the day of his sister's birthday, Thomas just seems to do the unimaginable.
Issues with Washington
There were a few big issues that contributed to the Wizards' loss. First and foremost, nobody was getting it done offensively except John Wall.
Bradley Beal shot just 1 for nine from three. The role players contributed well for the team, though, as Markieff Morris had 16 points and Otto Porter Jr. had 13. Beal did not look in a rhythm. For most of the game, he just looked off. He had a three-point late into the game that didn't even look good coming out of his hand from his release.
A huge issue with this game was John Wall's mentality that he had to win the game himself. He was often settling, not getting to the rim or the free throw line. This could be really bad for Washington because there was no spacing for the offense with Wall settling, and no ball movement at all. Even though other players aren't getting it done, Wall still has to lead this team, and that doesn't mean that Beal should take all the shots it just means getting him involved.
Get him in the post or someone on a cut, getting that movement is crucial to the Wizards being able to win this series.
Celtics staying hot
The Celtics might as well be a different team than we saw at the beginning of the first round. We've seen six straight Celtics games in which everyone is involved, everyone is knocking down some shots, and Isaiah Thomas is balling.
This team oriented shooting is key for Boston especially moving forward. The more they can find success without Isaiah Thomas doing it all, the better they will be when Isaiah needs to do it all or find a score.
Words cannot describe how good Isaiah Thomas is playing. He's willing this team, and other guys are stepping up directly because of him.
His story has been inspirational and dedicating this performance to his sister was a class act.
Moving forward it's grind time for Washington. If they want any chance at taking this series they have to take game three. The Wizards need to come out with energy that we have yet to see this series. The biggest difference between both teams in this series is their energy level. Washington needs to match that.
