John Wall, Wizards Rout Kyrie Irving-Less Celtics in Late-Season Win
The bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff picture will officially be sorted out on the final day of the regular season following the Washington Wizards' 113-101 win over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at Capital One Arena.
Had the Wizards (43-38) lost to the Celtics, they would have been locked into the No. 8 seed entering Wednesday.
But thanks to John Wall, that didn't happen.
The Wizards floor general commanded the action end-to-end for Washington, piling up 29 points, 12 assists, seven rebounds, three steals and three blocks in 36 minutes.
It was also a historic night for Wall, who recorded his 5,000th career assist to join an exclusive fraternity. According to NBC Sports Washington's Chris Miller, Wall is one of eight active players with at least 10,000 points and 5,000 dimes.
Bradley Beal added 19 points and Otto Porter Jr. dropped 12, but the latter didn't play in the second half after he suffered a right lower leg strain, per the Washington Post's Candace Buckner.
The Wizards can only hope Porter is healthy in time for the start of the postseason. Outside of Wall, he may be the one player they can't afford to lose.
Not only is the fifth-year swingman shooting a robust 43.7 percent from three, but the Wizards are outscoring opponents by a team-best 5.0 points per 100 possessions when he's on the floor, according to NBA.com's lineup data.
On the flip side, Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 27 points on 8-of-18 shooting, including 6-of-10 from three.
However, he was largely silenced over the final three quarters after he erupted for 21 points in the opening period, as ESPN Stats & Info documented:
With Brown quiet late and Jayson Tatum (12 points, 3-of-11 shooting) unable to get into rhythm, the Celtics left the door open for a possible first-round showdown with the Wizards.
Washington will head into Wednesday's season finale against the Orlando Magic at Amway Center with a chance to move out of the No. 8 seed, but it will need some help.
To lock up the No. 7 seed, Wall and Co. need a win over Orlando plus a Philadelphia 76ers win over the Milwaukee Bucks (44-37).
The Wizards could also find themselves in the No. 6 seed if the Miami Heat (43-38) lose to the Toronto Raptors and the Sixers top the Bucks.
