The Celtics continued their winning ways amid a light part of their schedule, this time beating up on the Wizards 112-98 on Sunday at Capital One Arena. The C’s improved to 21-5 on the season while the Wizards dropped to 3-21.
While it was a close game early tied at 21 in the first quarter, the Celtics pulled away from the Wizards from there with a 25-8 run. That allowed the C’s to build up a comfortable lead as they led by 15 points at halftime. The Celtics bench was a big part of that run as it was a tight rotation through the first half. Kristaps Porzingis also left in the first half due to right heel pain (more on that below).
The C’s came out slow in the second half, including a long scoreless drought. But the Wizards weren’t able to make a run in the meantime to put pressure on the visitors. The Celtics have played crisper games offensively as they struggled for some stretches. But the Wizards never put much pressure on the reigning champs as they never got it down to a single-digit game in the second half.
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Jayson Tatum had 28 points and 12 rebounds for the Celtics. Payton Pritchard filled up the box score with 15 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Jordan Poole put up 21 points and seven assists for the Wizards; Bilal Coulibaly also added 19 points.
The Celtics now get another three-day break before taking on the Bulls at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at TD Garden. Here are four takeaways from Boston’s win over Washington:
Early exit: While the Celtics were at relatively full strength Sunday, they did come out with some slight concern. Porzingis finished with 11 points in 11 minutes, but left the game early due to right heel pain. Initially, the team ruled him questionable with right heel pain, though he never returned. The Celtics were up big throughout the second half, so it also could’ve been for precautionary reasons since they didn’t need to push Porzingis. Regardless, that’s something to monitor for the injury-prone big man going forward.
Off the bench: Pritchard’s unexpected season just added another layer to it Sunday. Not only was the C’s guard all over the box score, he also made his 100th 3-pointer of the season already. Only Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards has made more 3s than Pritchard this season. He finished 5-for-10 from behind the line Sunday. Sam Hauser also had 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench, shooting 4-for-9 from behind the arc. Notably, Jaylen Brown (26 minutes) and Jrue Holiday (24 minutes) got some light nights Sunday as the bench guys had it going.
Stepping up: C’s coach Joe Mazzulla rolled with an eight-man rotation in the first half. It was a product of being relatively full strength for Sunday’s game, only missing Al Horford for rest purposes. After Porzingis left, Luke Kornet soaked up those extra minutes. Neemias Queta also got 10 minutes in the second half as the depth big. Kornet was important Sunday, putting up 27 minutes, seven points, 11 rebounds and four assists off the bench.
Schedule oddity: If it seems like the Celtics have played in Washington D.C. a lot already, that’s correct. Sunday was already the third time this season the C’s have played the Wizards on the road. The first two games were back on Oct. 24 and Nov. 22, both Boston wins. Sunday’s game was added to the schedule after the NBA Cup, so sometimes there will be some scheduling oddities due to the in-season tournament. Fortunately for the Wizards, the two teams don’t meet again until an April 6 game at TD Garden to close out the season series. The C’s will get a few more days off as they only had two games over an 11-day stretch, so they can continue to rest and practice in the meantime.
