Isaiah Thomas' 53 Points Power Celtics to 129-119 OT Win in Game 2 vs. Wizards
Isaiah Thomas is 5'9", but nobody stood taller Tuesday.
The Boston Celtics star destroyed the Washington Wizards in Game 2 of the teams' playoff series, leading his squad to a 129-119 overtime victory. Thomas finished with 53 points, including 29 in the fourth quarter and overtime.
No other Celtic scored more than 15 in the back-and-forth, physical affair, but Thomas did enough to stretch Boston's postseason winning streak to six games:
| Isaiah Thomas | 53 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 18-of-33 |
| Al Horford | 15 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 6-of-9 |
| Jae Crowder | 14 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 4-of-9 |
| Avery Bradley | 14 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 6-of-16 |
John Wall nearly neutralized Thomas with 40 points and 13 assists, but it wasn't enough.
Thomas and Wall Star in Backcourt Battle
Thomas (33 points and nine assists) won the head-to-head showdown with Wall (20 points and 16 assists) in Game 1 as well, but both put on a show Tuesday. Thomas' team was victorious, but the two point guards traded proverbial haymakers throughout the contest.
Brandon Anderson of The Cauldron noted they made history:
Wall—and his teammates—could do nothing about Thomas, especially in closing time. Boston's leader torched whoever checked him and was locked in when he hit two late free throws to force overtime:
Adam Jacobi summarized the Washington defense against Thomas:
Wall set the tone early with 19 points and six assists in the first quarter, and the Wizards seized a double-digit lead for the second game in a row. Tom Westerholm of MassLive.com responded to the Kentucky product's fast start:
Wall used his blazing speed in the open floor and blinding quickness in the lane throughout the game, and Thomas had no chance of staying in front of him, as Bullets Forever indicated:
Wall's brilliance almost overcame Bradley Beal's disappearing act. Beal had just four points at halftime, finished 4-of-15 from the field and badly missed the potential game-winner in regulation.
More help from Beal may have made the difference, but Thomas proved too much for the overmatched visitors.
Washington's Supporting Cast Fades at Winning Time
Beal's struggles stood out because he is the Wizards' clear No. 2 option and nobody came to Wall's support in crunch time.
Markieff Morris and Marcin Gortat each fouled out in overtime, and Gortat was far too slow on the defensive glass in critical moments, though he finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. What's more, nobody on the Washington bench outside of Kelly Oubre Jr. and Jason Smith scored, leading to this response from Ben Rohrbach of Ball Don't Lie:
Chase Hughes of CSN Mid-Atlantic noted Morris was playing on a "badly sprained ankle," which made his 16 points all the more impressive, but 10 of those came in the first quarter. ESPN's Ryen Russillo characterized Morris' showing, which included an early shove of Al Horford:
Washington's lack of depth and absence of killer instinct allowed Boston to overcome multiple double-digit deficits.
In addition to Thomas' efforts, the Celtics also got a monumental steal and dunk from Avery Bradley and a double-double from Horford (15 points and 12 rebounds).
The Wizards are in serious trouble, as ESPN Stats & Info noted the Celtics are 34-0 all-time in best-of-seven series when they win the first two games.
Physicality Takes Center Stage
Tuesday's contest resembled an MMA matchup more than basketball at times.
Morris tossed Horford early; Bradley suffered a hip pointer, per the Celtics; Thomas slammed his face on the ground; and Otto Porter Jr. bled profusely after taking a shot from Thomas. What's more, Wall and Porter each grabbed their wrists in pain after separate falls.
The multiple blood stoppages caught the eyes of Tom Fornelli and James Herbert of CBSSports.com:
Boston will look to grab a 3-0 series lead on the road in Thursday's Game 3.
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