WASHINGTON, D.C. – Everybody was moving a little slower Monday night in Washington, D.C. John Wall, despite his game-changing speed, was no exception.
The Celtics’ defense submitted their third consecutive strong performance, leading to their third consecutive victory, a 116-91 win over the Wizards. The Celtics, now 25-21, kept the Wizards in a half-court game, keeping Wall under wraps and Washington out of their transition-based attack.
“We focused on getting a body on him and making them score in the half-court,” Jae Crowder said. “Take the transition out of the game.”
Before the game, Brad Stevens was clear with the media about the Celtics needing to stop Wall, and his team delivered. Apparently the message got through to his troops as well. The goal was to cut the Wizards’ transition points from the previous game against the Celtics “in half,” as multiple players referenced that data point after the game.
Marcus Smart referred to it as “cutting off the head of the snake,” and to that end, Washington’s point guard hit just one of his first six shots. Wall had only three points at halftime.
Of course, at halftime, it was still very much a game, and the Wizards led by seven points at the 5:18 mark of the second quarter. Things changed drastically in the second half.
“You almost have to adjust as time is going on, and you have to see their speed and feel their speed to adjust to it,” Stevens said.
When the final box score was printed, Wall had registered just eight points on 3-for-11 shooting. The Wizards finished with just 16 fast break points.
Once again, the Celtics took great care of the basketball, committing only 11 turnovers to the Wizards’ 20, and as such, enjoyed many more offensive possessions. Given that the Celtics shot nearly 50 percent, the Wizards had few opportunities to turn up the pressure and get out and run.
“Everybody was so locked in and engaged, it was evident on the court,” Crowder said after his 11-point, five-rebound effort.
Including Crowder, six Celtics scored in double-figures, led by Isaiah Thomas’ 23 points. But contributions were made pretty much across the board, and the Celtics played one of their more complete games of the season. The ball was moving around, as to which 31 assists will attest, and the Celtics knocked down nine 3-pointers, which really helped to give them separation in the second half.
With back-to-back blowout wins under their belts after an odd stretch of travel on a road trip, the Celtics flew back to Boston four games over .500. After three solid wins, they’re playing perhaps their best basketball of the season to date.
