Bradley Beal, Wizards Hand Celtics Another Loss with Kyrie Irving Out Injured
Bradley Beal and Jodie Meeks were not about to let the Washington Wizards lose to the version of the Boston Celtics that took the floor at TD Garden on Wednesday.
Despite trailing by 20 in the first half, Washington came roaring back for a 125-124 double-overtime victory to end a two-game losing streak. Beal led the way against an injury-ravaged Celtics squad with 34 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, playing the role of go-to scorer and facilitator with John Wall still sidelined because of a knee injury.
It was Meeks, though, who drilled the biggest shot of the game—a three-pointer with Washington facing a 106-103 deficit with 2.4 seconds remaining in regulation.
The Celtics were without a number of key contributors, including All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Al Horford, and dropped their second straight despite 31 points and nine boards from Marcus Morris. They had a chance to win it on a three by Jayson Tatum at the end of double overtime, but it drew nothing but iron.
It wasn't always pretty with 36 combined turnovers and a number of missed opportunities on each side, but both teams had clutch plays with the game hanging in the balance.
In addition to Meeks' shot, Tatum forced double overtime with an and-1 with three seconds left in the first overtime, but he missed the free throw that could have won it. Boston also trimmed a 125-119 deficit with just more than a minute remaining in double overtime into a situation where it could have won with one shot, but Washington survived.
Boston's lineup was the primary storyline entering play Wednesday after the Celtics announced Jaylen Brown was out with a concussion, Horford was out with an illness, Irving was out with left knee soreness, Marcus Smart was out with a right thumb sprain and Daniel Theis was out with a left knee meniscal tear.
What's more, they have been without Gordon Hayward since the season opener when he fractured his left ankle.
All the attrition left Guerschon Yabusele, Terry Rozier and Aron Baynes in the starting lineup alongside Tatum and Morris, which is not exactly the loaded team assembled to challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East that Boston envisioned having on the floor come crunch time this season.
It was no Irving and no problem in the early going for the Celtics, who jumped all over the visitors on the way to 37 points and a 14-point lead after a quarter. They extended it to 20 during the second quarter as Morris pushed his game beyond the three-point line and Tatum attacked the rim.
In all, six Celtics scored in double figures as they relied on consistently moving the ball and avoiding too many isolation plays without Irving there to break down the defense.
Rozier (21 points, nine assists and five rebounds), Tatum (19 points, six assists and five rebounds) and Greg Monroe (16 points and 10 boards) all impressed alongside Morris, but it wasn't enough to counter Beal.
Wall has been out since Jan. 25 because of his knee injury, and Beal has found the ball in his hands far more often during the span.
That was the case again against Boston, and he was a more aggressive scorer than facilitator after the slow start, pouring in 16 points in the third as the Wizards seized the lead. He did so against a Boston team that is No. 1 in the league in defensive rating, per NBA.com, although the ranking can largely be attributed to some of the players who were out Wednesday.
It felt like just a matter of time before the Celtics lost their initial lead with so many players sidelined, and Beal was the driving force behind Washington's comeback. He wasn't alone, though, as Markieff Morris battled his brother with 20 points and seven rebounds, and Otto Porter Jr. added a double-double with 18 points and 11 boards.
Washington will look to parlay the victory into a winning streak with a critical showdown for playoff positioning against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday, while Boston turns its attention to a Friday matchup with the Orlando Magic.
