Through six games, each team took care of their home court, all leading up to a Game 7 in Boston at the TD Garden. All season long, Boston battled to get home-court advantage specifically for this purpose, which benefitted them. The Washington Wizards forced a Game 7 due to John Wall’s game-winning three, but the Celtics would not go down easily on their home floor.
Quick start for Boston, Washington sustains it
As the TD Garden was rocking, the Boston Celtics came out the gates with plenty of energy to take an early 10-2 lead. However, the Wizards recovered quickly by going on a 10-0 run.
From that point on, the game kept swinging back and forth, with neither team giving an inch.
The back-and-forth affair
The two teams battled extremely hard in the first half, with the biggest lead in the second quarter not exceeding six. The Wizards captured a two-point lead at halftime behind balanced scoring. Otto Porter Jr. and Markieff Morris were answering the call, combining for 23 halftime points, while Bradley Beal and Wall had 27 points together.
The third quarter was just as close, as the Wizards took a six-point advantage midway through, but the Celtics defense tightened up to close the gap. At the end of the period, Boston exploded to a quick 9-0 run to take a six-point lead.
The Kelly Olynyk domination
Once the fourth quarter rolled around, Kelly Olynyk became the unlikely hero. The 26-year-old big man scored 14 of his 26 points in the final period, virtually hitting from anywhere on the floor. Although Beal kept the Wizards in the game, Olynyk’s hot shooting ultimately helped the Celtics close the game.
Marcus Smart’s defensive energy and intensity was also a major boost off Boston’s bench.
The Celtics’ bench crushed Washington’s bench
Behind Olynyk’s 26 points, the Celtics’ bench thoroughly dominated Washington’s bench, 48-5. The only player to score for the Wizards off the bench was Bojan Bogdanovic. Meanwhile, the Celtics received 13 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two blocks from Smart, and nine points from rookie Jaylen Brown.
Brown and Smart sparked the team on the defensive end as well.
Isaiah Thomas, as he does so often, came alive in the fourth and put up a team-high 29 points and 12 assists. Al Horford added 15 points, six rebounds, and five assists, and Jae Crowder concluded with 14 points and five rebounds.
The Wizards were led by Beal’s 38 points and four rebounds, while John Wall notched 18 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds but shot 8-of-23 from the field. Porter attained a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds, as Morris pushed in 18 points and nine rebounds.
The road ahead for Boston
The Celtics advance to the Conference Finals to battle the Cleveland Cavaliers, which will begin Wednesday, May 17. As for the Wizards, they had a rather successful season come to an end with much promise for the future.
