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Here are five things to watch out for when the Boston Celtics and the Washington Wizards meet at 8 p.m. tonight at Verizon Center.
What Will IT do Next?
Isaiah Thomas proved once again Tuesday night that there is no limit to his game.
The Little Guy erupted for a career-high 53 points during Boston’s Game 2 win against Washington, despite having just spent roughly 11 hours in a dentist’s chair to repair three teeth that he damaged during Game 1.
Thomas came within one point of John Havlicek’s franchise postseason scoring mark, as he led the Celtics to a 129-119 win and a 2-0 series advantage. Incredibly, 29 of those 53 points came during the fourth quarter and overtime.
The question is, what will he have in store for us Thursday night when the teams head to the nation’s capital for Game 3?
One thing is clear: Through two games in this series, Washington has had no answer for Thomas. He has scored 86 total points during the first two contests, and judging by his late-game explosion Tuesday night, he is just heating up.
Wizards Need Magic from Both Guards
John Wall and Bradley Beal make up one of the most feared backcourts in the NBA.
Wall has done his part d.uring the first two contests of this series by averaging 30.0 points and 14.5 assists per game
Beal? Not so much.
Washington’s sharpshooting guard has shot just 38.2 percent from the field against the Celtics, as he has faced tenacious defense from Boston’s perimeter defenders.
Beal shot just 4-of-15 from the field, including 1-of-9 from long range in Game 2, while committing six turnovers. Wall, meanwhile, put together an incredible 40-point, 13 assist performance, yet the Wizards still lost.
If Washington has any hope of winning Game 3, it will need star-quality performances from both of its guards, because it’s clear that Wall cannot lead the charge against the C’s on his own.
Home-Court Advantage Holding True
The Celtics and Wizards have now faced off six times this season. The home team has won all six contests.
Boston will try to break that streak tonight.
Unfortunately for the C’s, they have had horrible luck in D.C. this season. The Wizards handed Boston its worst road loss of the season on Nov. 9 by a score of 118-93.
It didn’t get much better for the Celtics on Jan. 24 when they returned to Verizon Center and suffered a 123-108 loss.
Boston has two key factors in its favor this time around, however.
One is that the roster is completely healthy. During their first trip to Washington, the Celtics were without Al Horford (concussion) and Jae Crowder (ankle). Then on the second trip, they were missing Avery Bradley (Achilles).
Factor No. 2 is momentum. Boston has captured a pair of thrilling wins this week against the Wizards, and has all of the confidence in the world heading into Washington’s home arena tonight.
Curbing Early Turnovers
The Celtics have struggled out of the gates during Games 1 and 2, largely because they haven’t been able to take care of the ball.
Boston trailed 42-29 after one quarter Tuesday night despite shooting 68.8 percent from the field during the frame. The deficit hinged upon the fact that the Celtics had turned the ball over nine times during the first 12 minutes, compared to Washington’s turnover tally of zero.
Fortunately for the C’s, they have been able to curb their ball-handling issues during the latter stages of both games. In Tuesday’s case, they committed just eight more turnovers through the remaining three quarters, while the Wizards totaled 17 turnovers during that span.
However, if Boston hopes to avoid these ugly starts, it will need to be more careful with the ball from the opening tip.
Rozier’s Incredible Poise
Speaking of turnovers, Terry Rozier has yet to commit one during the Playoffs.
That’s right. In 128 minutes of play, the second-year guard has not coughed up the rock once!
Rozier has been a go-to guy for Boston off the bench, and for good reason. He’s averaged 6.9 points per game, is shooting 45.0 percent from 3-point range, and has been a great rebounding boost for the C’s.
The speedy, explosive guard is fresh off of a 12-point Game 2 performance that including a critical, game-tying 3-pointer during the closing moments of the fourth quarter.
With the poise Rozier is showing of late, you can be sure that Brad Stevens will continue to turn to him often as a reliable contributor off the bench.