John Wall Forces Game 7 with Clutch 3-Pointer to Beat Celtics, Tie Series

There was nothing aesthetically pleasing about it, but the Washington Wizards managed to force a Game 7 against the Boston Celtics thanks to a 92-91 win at the Verizon Center on Friday night.          

Although Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley did all they could to keep the Celtics afloat, John Wall and Bradley Beal broke out of early funks and kept the Wizards' Eastern Conference Finals hopes alive as they matched the Celtics star duo shot-for-shot down the stretch. 

And after Al Horford nailed a go-ahead bank shot with 7.9 seconds remaining, Wall saved his team's season when he stepped up and knocked down a long-range triple to give the Wizards the lead for good with 3.9 seconds on the clock: 

The Vertical's Michael Lee noted Wall got the last laugh after the Celtics came to Game 6 dressed in all black for a so-called funeral: 

In fact, Wall acknowledged the Celtics' bold choice during his postgame interview with ESPN's Lisa Salters (via the Washington Post's Tim Bontemps): 

Washington's hero finished with 26 points and a team-high eight assists, while Beal came up big to the tune of a game-high 33 points on 15-of-26 shooting (1-of-8 from three). 

The story, though, was the lethargy that plagued both offenses in a game that was devoid of rhythm and constant end-to-end action, as CBS Sports NBA, Vice Sports' Michael Pina and Sports Illustrated's Rob Mahoney pointed out: 

Despite taking home the win, the Wizards shot 43.0 percent from the field and a paltry 5-of-24 from three as they struggled to find a comfortable flow because of repeated attempts that clanged off iron, according to FiveThirtyEight's Chris Herring: 

The Celtics—who shot 40.5 percent from the field and 31.4 percent from three—were led by 27 points apiece from Thomas and Bradley. 

And before Wall sent the Wizards home with a win, Thomas looked like he would be the one playing hero when he scored five straight points to give the Celtics an 87-82 lead with 1:34 remaining in the fourth quarter: 

Thomas' last-gasp attempt at the final buzzer came up short, however, and the Celtics are forced to head back to TD Garden as they attempt to book a trip to their first Eastern Conference Finals since 2012. 

Game 7 will tip off Monday at 8 p.m. ET on TNT.