Isaiah Thomas loses tooth but Celtics win Game 1
The Boston Celtics came out the gate slow and found themselves down 16-0 early to the Washington Wizards but rallied in the second quarter to tie the game at 49 with 4:13 remaining in the half. They wouldn't take their first lead until the 6:45 mark of the third quarter on a Jae Crowder three pointer. They would never trail the rest of the game.
The Celtics outscored the Wizards 71-42 over the second and third quarters. Led by Isaiah Thomas' game-high 33 points, who lost a tooth in the first half, the Celtics dominated the middle quarters. Thomas added nine assists and hit 5 threes. Crowder had 24 points and six rebounds while hitting six three pointers and Al Horford had 21 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists on 10/13 from the field. Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart filled the stat sheet combining for 24 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, seven steals, and three blocks. The Celtics hit 19/29 threes and were a plus 27 from three.
The Wizards were led by John Wall and Bradley Beal who had 20 and 27 points respectively. They combined for 20 assists but also combined for 11 turnovers. Marcin Gortat added 16 points and 13 rebounds and Otto Porter Jr added 16 points and 11 rebounds but it wasn't enough. The Wizards shot just 59% from the free throw line and that is a recipe for disaster on the road in the playoffs.
Game 2 is Tuesday in Boston.
