Celtics Defeat Wizards 123-111 in Game 1 Comeback; Isaiah Thomas Loses Tooth

After a slow start, the Boston Celtics dominated the Washington Wizards en route to a 123-111 Game 1 victory in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Isaiah Thomas and Al Horford led the way in the high-scoring battle, which also featured a franchise record-tying 19 made three-pointers.

Both sides were forced to play on short rest after clinching their first-round series Friday night, but the depth of the Celtics seemed to be a real advantage in building a 1-0 series lead.

Thomas was the star once again, finishing with 33 points and nine assists. All this despite losing his tooth in the first few minutes of the game:

"He's one of the the biggest winners in this league," Wizards coach Scott Brooks said of the All-Star after the game, per NBA TV. "Just plays with everything he has. That's what you want your players to do. He's an incredible talent and one of the best players in basketball."

Outside of Thomas' heroics, however, the rest of the team provided plenty of balance. Horford fell one rebound shy of a triple-double with 21 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds on 10-of-13 shooting.

Jae Crowder also came through with 24 points and a plus-26 rating on the court.

The squad made 51.1 percent of its shots from the field, including an incredible 19-of-39 from three-point range.

John Wall did his best to keep pace with not only 20 points but also 16 assists. This included a few no one would have been able to stop:

Bradley Beal added 27 points as one of six players in double figures for Washington, although defense was clearly the bigger problem in this game. Shooting 13-of-22 from the free-throw line also likely didn't help.

Meanwhile, the team could have an even bigger issue on its hands with Markieff Morris suffering an ankle injury in the second quarter. The forward did not return after totaling five points in 11 minutes. As the team's third-leading scorer in the regular season and in the playoffs, this could be a devastating loss if he is forced to miss more time. 

Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports broke down the possible lasting effects:

Washington appeared ready to cruise to an easy win with a near perfect start:

It took the Celtics almost four minutes to get on the scoreboard and more than five minutes until they scored their first basket of the game, falling behind 20-3 in the process.

Boston was quick to overcome the deficit, however, tying the game in the second thanks to some hot shooting. David Aldridge of Turner Sports described the turnaround:

The Celtics then pulled away in the third quarter behind a three-point shooting barrage to go up 15 points:

While a Wizards run to start the fourth kept it competitive, Horford and Crowder made enough big plays to secure the win for the home team.

Washington will try to get this game back and even up the series Tuesday in Game 2, set for 8 p.m. ET at TD Garden.

Although Boston showed last series a 2-0 hole isn't necessarily the end, it won't be an ideal position in this second-round matchup.