Wizards-Celtics Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
Posted Mar 25 2012 12:32AM

While the result of their most recent game was certainly a disappointment, the Boston Celtics were understandably more concerned with the status of teammate Mickael Pietrus.

A home matchup with the lowly Washington Wizards should help them regain their focus.

The Celtics look to win their sixth straight game at TD Garden and complete a season sweep of the Wizards on Sunday night.

Boston (25-22) failed to overtake Philadelphia for the top spot in the Atlantic Division with Friday's 99-86 road loss to the 76ers. The Celtics were outscored by 20 in the third quarter, and the team is attributing that to the shock after witnessing an apparent head injury to Pietrus.

The veteran swingman left on a stretcher and was hospitalized after an awkward collision late in the first half. He was listed as having a questionable closed head injury after landing hard on his tailbone and his head nearly smacked the court. He instantly clutched the back of his head with both hands and rolled over on his side.

"It looked awful," coach Doc Rivers said. "I just saw his neck snap. You knew that was bad. He was throwing up on the floor, so that's not very good either.

"I thought the injury, fatigue, everything, kind of all caught up to us."

It's unclear when Pietrus will be back, leaving the Celtics without one of their top reserves. He was averaging 9.6 points on 56.7 percent from the floor - 11 for 20 from beyond the arc - in the five games prior to getting hurt.

Boston should benefit from a return home, where it has won 10 of 12, including five in a row while averaging 105.0 points.

The Celtics have won 11 of the last 14 meetings with Washington, and six of seven at home following a 100-92 victory on Jan. 2.

Paul Pierce had 37 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in Boston's 100-94 victory at Washington (11-36) on Jan. 22, putting the Celtics in position to sweep this four-game season series.

Pierce, the team leader at 18.5 points per game, is coming off a pair of impressive shooting performances while totaling 45 points. The 10-time All-Star forward has made 17 of 26 field goals - 6 of 7 3-pointers - while accumulating 18 rebounds in that span.

John Wall has had a completely different experience lately for the Wizards, making 10 of 34 from the floor while averaging 12.0 points over the last three games. He was a woeful 1-for-10 from the field and missed a potential game-tying 3 at the buzzer in Saturday's 95-92 loss to Atlanta.

"They gave me my shots. I just missed them," said Wall, who leads the Wizards with 17.3 points per game.

Wall's visit to Boston in January produced similar results, as he made 4 of 13 field goals for 11 points with eight assists. However, he had 27 points and 10 rebounds against the Celtics at home later that month.

Nene has topped 20 points and 10 boards in two of his three games with Washington since being acquired from Denver in a three-team trade last week. The forward-center had 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting and 11 rebounds against the Hawks.

Bradley scores 23 as Celtics beat Wizards 88-76

Posted Mar 25 2012 9:39PM

BOSTON (AP) Down two guards, the Boston Celtics got a career-best from reserve Avery Bradley.

Bradley scored 23 points, including 15 in the first quarter to get the Boston off to a quick start, and the short-handed Celtics held off the Washington Wizards 88-76 on Sunday.

With Ray Allen (ankle) and Mickael Pietrus (head injury) out of the lineup, the Celtics may need more from Bradley as they try to catch Philadelphia in the Atlantic Division.

"It's all about confidence. Sometimes I would go into the game thinking twice about shooting. Now, if I'm open, I'm open and I'll shoot it. I've been making them," said Bradley, whose previous high was 20 points. "I was fortunate enough for my teammates to find me in transition and give me the ball and I made shots."

Paul Pierce added 21 points and eight rebounds, Rajon Rondo had 11 assists, and Kevin Garnett finished with 10 points and six assists for the Celtics, who shot 22 for 34 (65 percent) in the first half.

Bradley made his first seven attempts and missed just once in the half.

"I could have scored those layups. I'm being serious," Washington coach Randy Wittman said. "I mean, we didn't have anybody guarding him. When I was a player, if you gave me four layups to start the game, I'd have a pretty good groove on to make some jump shots. He ought to send us a postcard of `Thank you' or something."

With the win and a loss by Philadelphia at San Antonio on Sunday, the Celtics moved within a half-game of the division lead.

Boston led by as much as 25 before cooling off in the second half. The Celtics allowed Washington to get as close as eight, but ended the threat quickly and won for the third time in four games.

The Celtics had played their last eight on the road, partly because TD Garden hosted the NCAA Tournament East Regional over the weekend. And after their first home game since March 9, the Celtics immediately hit the road again for a game at Charlotte on Monday night.

"Usually that first game is a rough one. You don't play on this court for two weeks, it feels like an away game," Pierce said. "We got off to a great start. That was the key, especially when you come off a big trip."

Jordan Crawford scored 20 points, and Kevin Seraphin had 15 points and 11 rebounds for Washington. John Wall added 12 points and nine assists, and Trevor Booker pulled down nine rebounds. The Wizards played without recently acquired Nene, who had 21 points and 11 rebounds Saturday in a loss at Atlanta.

Bradley's previous high was 20, scored against New York last April. He hadn't scored more than 12 in a game this season and passed that in the first quarter, making his first seven shots. Bradley had 19 at halftime and reached his career high on a 21-foot jumper to open the third quarter, putting the Celtics up 55-34.

"It was great to see him go in," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "I thought there was a point it was clearly confidence because you see him in practice and he makes them, then he gets in the game and he just needed one to fall."

The Wizards responded to Bradley's jumper with a 13-0 run, shutting out the Celtics for 5:17. Crawford converted a three-point play with 7:56 left in the third to cut it to 55-43, Seraphin scored on a putback for Washington's 11th straight point and then after Pierce turned it over at the top of the key, Crawford hit a long jumper to cut the lead to 55-47.

The game of streaks continued as the Celtics scored the next 10 points. Garnett stopped the drought with a pair of free throws with 5:17 left, Pierce hit a 3-pointer and converted a three-point play, and Bass added a jumper to put the Celtics back up 65-47.

The Celtics led 69-55 at the end of the third and didn't let the Wizards get closer than 10 in the final period.

Notes: Washington's 34 points in the first half was just two better than its season low. ... Bradley scored 10 of the Celtics' first 15 points ... The Celtics led 27-12 after the first period. ... Greg Stiemsma added 10 points for the Celtics. ... Both teams had 15 turnovers.

Notebook: Celtics 88, Wizards 76

Posted Sunday March 25, 2012 9:51PM

By Brian Robb, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Avery Bradley finished with a career-high 23 points, as the undermanned Boston Celtics cruised to a comfortable 88-76 win over the Washington Wizards. The 21-year-old guard started in place of the injured Ray Allen and set the tone for Boston from the opening tip on both ends of the floor. Bradley scored 19 of his 23 points in the first half, helping the Celtics open up a 25-point lead in the second quarter. The hybrid guard also helped to key a dominant defensive effort from Boston as Washington offense sputtered for most of the night, scoring just 24 points in the game's first 20 minutes. The putrid output put the visitors in a hole they were unable to climb out of.

Boston cooled off offensively in the second half, only scoring 35 points, but the Wizards were unable to get any closer than eight points the rest of the way. Paul Pierce added 21 points for the hosts, who have now won six straight games at TD Garden. Jordan Crawford led the shorthanded Wizards, who played without Nene, with 20 points. Washington has lost three straight games overall.

QUOTABLE: "He's just gaining more and more confidence as the year goes on. It was awesome to have him give us a big lift, especially with the injuries we have right now. It's just good to watch a guy like Avery mature before your eyes over the last couple years."
-- Pierce on Bradley's play

THE STAT: Wizards started the game an ice cold 1-of-12 from the field and things failed to improve much from there. They finished the first quarter with just 12 points, after stifling Celtics defense limited them to just 13.6 percent shooting (3-of-22) over the opening 12 minutes.

TURNING POINT: Washington kept the game competitive throughout much of the fourth quarter, cutting Boston's lead to ten points with just over five minutes remaining. The C's managed to stop the bleeding though, responding with a 10-0 run over the next two minutes, which put away the Wizards for good.

QUOTABLE II: "They just started off with great defense. We just didn't do a great job of moving the ball as a team. We were taking bad shots and they executed, getting whatever they wanted offensively."
-- John Wall on Boston's dominating first half

HOT: Bradley -- The second-year guard made the most of his spot start exploding for 13 points in first 5:15 of game, on 6-of-6 shooting. He scored 15 of his 23 points in the first quarter.

NOT: Trevor Booker -- The power forward continues to battle plantar fasciitis in his left foot, which has slowed down his offensive game on the floor. The former Clemson star missed six of his seven shots over 30 minutes of action, including a failed one-handed dunk attempt in the second quarter. He finished with a mere two points in 30 minutes.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Pierce -- The C's are usually at their best as a team when their All-Star small forward hits the glass and that's exactly what Pierce did Sunday night. The 6'6'' veteran grabbed eight boards, dished out three assists and scored 13 of his 21 points in the second half. He has averaging 6.8 rebounds over his past five games, two above his season average per game.

GOOD MOVE: Boston coach Doc Rivers told reporters before the game he based his move to start Bradley in place of Allen on matchups against Washington's athletic backcourt of Wall and Crawford. The decision paid obvious dividends as the duo was held in check, while Bradley delivered a breakout performance.

ROOKIE WATCH: Greg Stiemsma has become a crucial piece of the Celtics bench with Jermaine O'Neal and Chris Wilcox sidelined for the season, and the center continues to step up to the challenge. The 26-year-old hit a number of long jumpers on his way to 10 points, while also snatching seven rebounds.

NOTABLE: Nene sat out the game with back spasms. The former Nugget has averaged 16.7 points and 8.3 rebounds in his first three games with his new squad. He told reporters after the game he was day-to-day. Kevin Seraphin got the start in his place and had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Washington started the game 3-of-25 from the field. Allen will be sidelined for Monday's game in Charlotte as well due to his sore right ankle. He underwent a MRI Monday for the injury. Mickael Pietrus also sat out the game with a concussion. There is no timetable on his return, according to Rivers. Ryan Hollins made his home debut for the C's, scoring two points in 12 minutes of action. The Wizards tied a season-low with 12 assists. Boston pulled within a half-game of Philadelphia for the Atlantic Division lead after the Sixers lost to the Spurs in San Antonio. Washington plays the final game of their back-to-back-to-back stretch Monday at home against Detroit. With the victory, Boston has swept the season series 4-0 against the Wizards.

UP NEXT: For the Wizards, Monday vs. Detroit, Thursday @ Indiana, Friday vs. Philadelphia. For the Celtics, Monday @ Charlotte, Wednesday vs. Utah, Friday @ Minnesota.

• Wizards: Blatche, Lewis
• Celtics: O'Neal, Pietrus

• Wizards: Wall
• Celtics: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Officials: #38 Michael Smith, #30 John Goble, #77 Karl Lane
• Attendance: 18624
• Duration: 2:04