NBA-leading Celtics knock off Wizards, stay scorching at home

Jaylen Brown scored a game-high 36 points to propel the Boston Celtics past the visiting Washington Wizards, 130-121, for their eighth consecutive home win on Sunday, November 27 (Monday, November 28, Manila time).

Six other Boston players logged between 12 and 17 points, including Malcolm Brogdon, who scored 17 off the bench.

The Celtics shot 56.5% (26-of-46) and banged 11 first-half three-pointers despite the absence of Jayson Tatum, who missed his first game this season with a left ankle sprain, the same ailment that he played through during Boston’s last two wins.

Bradley Beal had 30 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals for Washington, which has lost three straight. Kristaps Porzingis contributed 21 points and Monte Morris finished with 16.

It was a 17-point game at halftime, but Boston did not let up in the third, as Brown scored 6 points as part of an 8-4 run that moved the cushion above 20.

Just after Washington cut the deficit to 19, Brown continued his hot quarter with a three-pointer to bring the hosts to the 100-point mark with 3:41 left.

Six field goals, including a late alley-oop dunk, and 6 free throws fueled an 18-point quarter for Beal, but Sam Hauser’s three-pointer with 6.2 seconds left gave the Celtics a 25-point lead.

The Wizards trimmed their deficit to 12 and did not allow a Celtics field goal for nearly five minutes until a Luke Kornet dunk with 4:50 left in the fourth.

There were four ties and four lead changes in the first before Boston built separation with a 11-2 run. Hauser’s three-pointer with 2:15 left in the opening quarter established a double-digit lead.

The edge expanded as the Celtics hit 3 consecutive field goals from downtown to begin the second. Kornet’s layup made it 46-31, forcing a timeout at 9:36.

Morris hit 3 triples in the quarter, the last of which ended a 15-6 Washington run to close the score to 54-48. Marcus Smart and Brown combined for 13 straight points to increase the lead, while a last-minute Al Horford shot in the paint created the 72-55 halftime score. – Rappler.com