The Wizards played the Celtics evenly in the first half but let the Celtics pull away in the second, eventually falling 107-96. The Celtics finished the three game series sweep of the Wizards.
The Celtics got some great news before the game when it was announced that Garnett and Pierce would be returning to the lineup. The first half was a good one as the two teams battled back and forth. John Wall did a good job settling an energetic Celtics crowd by shooting 5/7 for 10 points in the first quarter. The second quarter was more of the same as the Wizards continued to fight and went into the half down by just four. The game opened up for the Celtics in the second half as they parlayed an early 13-1 run into an eventual 16 point lead at the end of three. The Wizards never got closer than 10 in the fourth and eventually lost by 11. The Wizards never found their rhythm on offense in the second half and the Celtics were very efficient on offense. The Celtics shot 55% in the game and the Wizards just 44%.
John Wall led the effort with a double-double, scoring 16 points and dishing out 10 assists. A.J. Price and Trevor Ariza came off the bench to score 15 and 14 respectively.
For the Celtics, Brandon Bass had 20 points, Paul Pierce had 15, and Kevin Garnett had 12 in his return to the lineup.
The Wizards now head to the Big Apple to play the Knicks on Tuesday night.
