Three Studs, Three Duds From Celtics Pummeling Wizards
The Boston Celtics facing the Washington Wizards was like the varsity toying with the jayvee squad.
And the Wizards, who own the second-worst record in the NBA at 17-61, could do nothing about it.
The matchup between the Celtics and Wizards from TD Garden on Sunday was practically over just after the opening tip. The Celtics jumped out to a quick double-digit lead even with Kristaps Porzingis and Jayson Tatum sidelined and cruised to a 124-90 win. Boston improved its record to 58-20.
The Celtics had a massive edge in 3-point shooting as they shot 24-of-52 (46.2%) from beyond the arc while the lowly Wizards knocked down just 12-of-45 (26.7%) attempts. Washington scored just 39 points in the first half, which just surpassed the 34 Boston netted in the first quarter.
Here are three studs and three duds from Boston’s rout of the Wizards:
STUDS
Luke Kornet
Kornet is a fan favorite on this Celtics team. He brings a workman’s like effort to the court on a nightly basis and throws out some hilarious celebrations, too, including emphatically signaling it was Celtics ball after he grabbed an offensive board and threw it off a Wizards player out of bounds to retain possession. Kornet, who developed into a key frontcourt piece, posted a double-double of 13 points and 14 rebounds — nine of which came on the offensive glass to set a career high — to go along with three assists.
Sam Hauser
The Wizards were the perfect opponent for Hauser to break out of the little cold streak he’s been in the last couple of weeks. Hauser came off the bench to sink four triples and hit 7-of-12 shots to net 18 points in just 22 minutes. He had a team-best plus-25 rating.
Torrey Craig
Craig’s stat line wasn’t the most impressive but the effort and determination he played with was eye-catching. He made his mark on the defensive end, recording three blocks and was effective on the boards, too, by grabbing eight rebounds. He also had three points and two assists.
DUDS
Marcus Smart
This one really isn’t on Smart, who didn’t play for the Wizards in the loss. Injury or illness didn’t keep Smart glued to the bench, it was the team’s decision to keep him there as part of a tanking strategy. That was a poor decision by the Wizards. They should have played Smart at the place he spent the first nine seasons of his career and where he is still beloved. The Wizards still could have tanked even with Smart seeing the court. But there is a reason why the Wizards are the Wizards and it is because of decisions like this.
Jordan Poole
It’s really been all downhill for Poole ever since he got punched in the face by Draymond Green. He’s turned into a good stats on a bad team player, but that wasn’t really even the case against the Celtics. Poole made 6-of-14 shots to score 15 points and finished with a minus-26 rating.
Xavier Tillman
The fact that Tillman can’t get a good chunk of minutes in a game like this is puzzling. This was someone who got playing time in the NBA Finals last season, but now rarely sees the floor. Tillman played the last of garbage time and missed the only shot he took. Tillman’s bizarre season raises questions as to why the Celtics brought him back this offseason.