20151106-WASBOS

Boston Celtics

photos-wizards-vs-celtics-nov-6-2015

Photos: Wizards vs. Celtics - Nov. 6, 2015

Marc D'Amico

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It didn’t take long for Brad Stevens to rip into his players Friday night at TD Garden.

It also didn’t take those players long to respond.

Stevens called a timeout just 88 seconds into Boston’s bout with Washington after the C’s fell behind 6-2 early on.  All six of Washington’s points were scored off of layups, with the final two coming on an easy fast break bucket by Bradley Beal.

“Everyone has a job,” Stevens told his players during the timeout, CSNNE’s Abby Chin reported.  “Right now that job is to get back on defense.”

Boston limited the Wizards to just eight points over the next five minutes and 27 seconds.  Meanwhile, the Celtics began to singe the nets at the other end.

The C’s, led by Isaiah Thomas (12 points) and Jared Sullinger (11 points), shot a ridiculous 16-of-23 from the field after their coach’s early timeout.  Yeah, that’s 69.6 percent.

You know what?  Let’s just round it up and call it 70 percent.

All told, Boston scored 40 points during the frame, marking its highest single-quarter output of the season (and the second-highest single-quarter total in the entire league).  Its next-best total was 33, and it had scored 40 or fewer points in two of its eight previous halves this season.

A stellar first quarter allowed the C’s to hold a 40-25 lead after the first 12 minutes of play.  And Boston’s momentum spilled into the second period as well.

The C’s opened the second period on a 12-2 run and eventually pulled ahead by as many as 30 points before halftime.  They took a 72-50 lead into the locker rooms and cruised to a 118-98 victory.

And it all started with that timeout, just 88 seconds after tip-off.

You’ll hear plenty about Jared Sullinger’s night against the Washington Wizards.  And maybe about Isaiah Thomas’ night, too.

Olynyk played about as well as a reserve can play in 27 minutes of action.  He stuffed the stat sheet full across the board while acting as Boston’s top reserve.

The 7-foot big man, in his third NBA season, dropped 19 Friday night.  And boy, was he efficient.

A miss was a rare occurrence for Olynyk, who shot a ridiculous 7-of-11 on the night.  He canned three of his five 3-point attempts, including one in which he was knocked to the floor by his defender (but didn’t get a whistle).

Stuffing the stat sheet requires much more than just scoring points.  Olynyk also chipped in seven boards and four assists on offense.  At the defensive end, his hands were as active as they’ve ever been.  He wound up with four steals and a blocked shot on the night.

Sullinger had a fantastic performance with his 21 points and eight rebounds.  So, too, did Thomas, with his 16 points and eight assists.  But we can’t forget about the reserves.  A night like this one from Olynyk deserves plenty of love.

Brad Stevens on Boston's hot shooting performance.

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Keys to the Game: Celtics 118, Wizards 98

Taylor Snow

Wednesday, November 6 - Wizards at Celtics

Pregame - C’s Host Washington’s Explosive Backcourt Sans Smart

BOSTON – Brad Stevens presented good news and bad news regarding Boston’s injury woes prior to tonight’s 7:30 tip-off against the Washington Wizards at TD Garden.

The good news: Amir Johnson, who twisted his ankle during Wednesday’s contest in Indiana, will be back in the starting lineup.

The bad news: Marcus Smart will not suit up tonight, missing his second straight game due to a sprained left big toe he suffered earlier in the week.

Stevens indicated yesterday that Smart was showing progress and would be a game-time decision tonight. However, when he was seen in the Celtics locker room wearing a walking boot prior to the game, it was immediately apparent what that decision would likely be.

“The ultimate factor in deciding if he can play or not is can he push off of it, and he couldn’t push off of it at all on Wednesday,” said Stevens. “He’s pushing off of it much better now, but there’s no reason to put extra stress on it by walking without a boot, so the boot is a conservative measure to make sure he doesn’t put extra weight on it as it’s healing.”

This is not the ideal night for Smart to be absent from the lineup, as the C’s are facing arguably the best backcourt tandem in the Eastern Conference. Guards Bradley Beal and John Wall are averaging a combined 46.1 points per game, nearly equaling their mere 47 years of combined age.

“It’s not ideal for anybody to have to play against those guys, those guys are really good players,” said Stevens.

“You want as many of your guys on hand as possible and obviously Marcus, with his defensive ability, and the way he’s impacted games is a guy that we’ hope to have, but he’s not there, so you play with who’s there and you try to play as well as you can and it’s a great opportunity for our other guards and the young guys that may get a crack at ‘em too.”

That means we may see more of rookies Terry Rozier and R.J. Hunter on the floor tonight, as starters Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley will surely have their hands full.

Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Amir Johnson, Jared Sullinger

John Wall, Bradley Beal, Otto Porter Jr., Kris Humphries, Marcin Gortat

draftkings-post-ups-notebook-nov-6-2015

DraftKings Post-Ups Notebook: Nov. 6, 2015

A lucrative contract all but assuredly awaits Bradley Beal this offseason, and he is doing his best early this season to show he's worth every penny.

The Washington Wizards guard will try to add to his promising start with a better performance against the Boston Celtics on Friday night.

The Wizards chose not to offer a contract extension to Beal by Monday's deadline but are expected to try to sign him this summer to a five-year deal - possibly for the maximum - while attempting to lure Kevin Durant back to his hometown.

If Washington should fail to get Durant, locking up Beal long-term could prove a gratifying consolation especially if the first four games this season are an indication of what's to come. He is averaging 25.3 points - 10 more than last season - and his shooting percentages of 47.5 from the field and 46.4 from 3-point range are well above his career marks.

He's also one of the league's top scorers in the fourth quarter, averaging 10.3 points while shooting 53.3 percent.

Beal had 14 points of his 26 points in the final period in a 118-113 comeback win in Milwaukee last Friday and delivered his biggest shot of the season Wednesday, a 3-pointer with 0.3 seconds left in a 102-99 victory over San Antonio.

He finished with 25 points despite being guarded for much of the night by reigning Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard.

"I'm not going to let anybody just keep me from being me, no matter who it is," Beal said. "I'm not taking anything away from him or anybody else. It's just me being confident in myself."

Beal, though, now faces a team that was adept at containing him last season. He averaged 11.0 points while shooting 31.7 percent in three meetings with Boston, but Washington went 2-1.

The Celtics (1-3) are entering this season's first matchup having lost three in a row.

They have shot 38.3 percent in that skid but a 10-of-27 performance from 3-point range on Wednesday nearly lifted them past Indiana. Boston, however, missed its only two shot attempts in the final minute and lost 100-98.

Slow starts have played a role in the Celtics' struggles as their 19.0-point average in the first quarter is the league's worst. They're averaging at least 25.0 in all other periods and are among the NBA's best in fourth with 30.0 points per game.

"We've got to get tighter in our first halves," coach Brad Stevens said. "Our first halves have been poor."

Boston was held to 12 first-quarter points in these teams' last meeting and lost 101-88 in Washington on Dec. 27.

Kris Humphries had a combined 35 points in the Wizards' two wins in last season's series but is averaging 6.3 so far. Celtics leading scorer Isaiah Thomas (23.5 ppg) is averaging 20.8 points in his last five games against Washington despite being held below 38.0 percent shooting in each of the past three.

The statuses of Boston's Marcus Smart (toe) and Amir Johnson (ankle) are unclear.

20151106‑WASBOS

Photos: Wizards vs. Celtics - Nov. 6, 2015

Keys to the Game: Celtics 118, Wizards 98

DraftKings Post-Ups Notebook: Nov. 6, 2015

11/6 Game Preview: Wizards at Celtics