Guard Avery Bradley had 19, and guard Marcus Smart contributed 16 off the bench for the Celtics (24-21).Forward Robert Covington notched 25 points to pace Philadelphia, the NBA’s worst team (6-39). “He’s got a nice swagger about him, but he also respects the game and respects everybody”.
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In three days the NBA All-Star reserves will be announced and Isaiah continued to make his case for a spot on the Eastern All-Star team. Based on their head-to-head performance, the choice seems clear. Smart’s inconsistency from deep is something that he has to improve on, and the good news is that his three-point shot looked much improved against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. After Washington closed within five points late in the third quarter, Thomas’ penetration and passing set up forward Kelly Olynyk’s 3-pointer, which started a 12-3 run over the final 2:55.
“Every night you’re facing one of the top guys in the National Basketball Association, so you’ve got to be up for that, you’ve got to be motivated”, he said. This team [Philadelphia] had us beat, we were dead in the water [on November 25] and we wanted to play better than that. Maybe it’s because they’ve had a long rest due to the snowstorm in D.C. that postponed their game on Saturday.
The layoff may have sapped any momentum following a 106-87 drubbing of the Miami Heat.
The Wizards are 10-13 (.385) at home this season after losing just 12 home games in all of 2014-15.
It’s hard to believe that Washington is the favorite in this game.
Over the past three games, Celtics opponents have averaged 21.3 turnovers and are giving up the ball 20.2 times per 100 possessions (a noticeable jump from an average of 16.8 turnovers per 100 possessions overall this season). Now, he may sidelined for an extended period of time again and the Wizards will need to continue relying on Garrett Temple, who has started 23 games this season. Playing lethargic and loose with the basketball, the Wizards committed 20 turnovers. “And to lose that type of game (with) three, four days off, I think it’s unacceptable”. He scored 23 points and dished out nine assists in 28 minutes, making Wall an afterthought for pretty much the entire game.
The sequence essentially summed up the night for Wall who, after torching Boston for 36 points and 13 assists a little more than a week ago, was limited to eight points on 3-of-11 shooting with 10 assists during Boston’s 116-91 triumph at the Verizon Center.
But tonight, the Wizards had John Wall, Marcin Gortat, Nene and Bradley Beal all available tonight and they got destroyed by a team they are trying to catch in the standings. The game was rescheduled from Saturday because of snow. The decision to sit him was not a punishment on either night, but an acknowledgement that Thomas had finished his work early, that the Boston Celtics were headed toward another comfortable win.
Despite their interrupted schedule, Boston showed plenty of energy from the middle of the game on. I understand we play them next week. The first two contests were in November, within the season’s first 15 games, and played in Boston. Neither head coach screamed at an opposing player, as far as I could tell, nor did any players pick up a technical foul in retaliation.
Nick Stauskas (two points) returned to action for the Sixers after missing the last three games with a left shoulder contusion.
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Celtics: Host Denver on Wednesday.
