Despite balanced performances from Corey Kispert, Deni Avdija, Bilal Coulibaly, Jordan Poole, and Kyle Kuzma, the Washington Wizards weren't able to complete the late-game comeback against the Celtics. Final score: Celtics 133, Wizards 129.
With Marvin Bagley III sidelined due to injury and Richaun Holmes not yet able to suit up, interim head coach Brian Keefe opted to go with a small lineup against the Celtics, inserting Bilal Coulibaly into the starting five and sliding Kyle Kuzma up to the center position. While they had a tough time getting stops consistently, the small lineup opened up the offense to operate at a high level.
The Wizards set the tone early in this one, playing with pace and energy from the first possession on. After struggling to get in a rhythm last game, Jordan Poole came out with confidence and controlled aggression, knocking down a smooth 15-footer on the Wizards' first possession of the game. After that, the offensive gates opened and the water started to flow.
Poole was doing a little bit of everything, scoring from all three levels of the floor, generating open shots for his teammates, and battling hard on defense. He finished the first half with 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field to go along with four assists, two rebounds, and one steal.
Three other Wizards joined Poole in double digits in the first half. Deni Avdija had 11 points. Kuzma and Coulibaly each had 10. The Wizards held a 71-64 advantage at the break behind 18 assists on their 25 made field goals.
In the second half, the Celtics keyed in on Poole and slowed the Wizards' offense down. Still, they never gave up. At one point early in the fourth quarter, the Celtics opened up a 16-point advantage, but the Wizards refused to go down without a fight. Every time the Celtics went on a run, the Wizards followed it up with a run of their own. They cut the lead to four points with roughly 50 seconds left, but Kristaps Porzingis made the biggest shot of the game on the ensuing possession, extending the lead to six points and forcing the Wizards to play the foul game. Time ran out before Washington could complete the comeback. It was a valiant effort for 48 minutes.
Corey Kispert and Avdija led the Wizards in scoring with 24 points each on a combined 16-of-24 shooting from the field to go along with 17 rebounds, eight assists, and five steals. Coulibaly dropped a career-high 21 points in addition to eight rebounds and three assists.
The Wizards will be back in action in just 24 hours when the Philadelphia 76ers come to town.