Still without Kristaps Porzingis, and without an ailing Al Horford, the Celtics arrive in Washington with a bare racket. Washington will take advantage of this, attacking the opposing paint to take advantage of the lack of coverage near the circle. Enough to race in the lead in the first half…
Brian Keefe's players will even take up to 11 points in advance (45-34) in the second quarter. Nothing to panic the reigning champions, who return to contact (51-49) despite a Jayson Tatum – Jaylen Brown – Derrick White trio which compiles an ugly 8/29 at halftime, including 2/15 behind the line at 3-points.
But from experience, the three men will close ranks when returning from the locker room, and above all accelerate when necessary, to take control of the match, and avoid a big scare.
While all the opposing balls pass through the Poole/Kuzma duo, rather successful in the face of the unusual generosity of Joe Mazzulla's defense, Jaylen Brown in particular will score complicated and valuable shots to ensure the victory (99- 108). This is the second in three outings for Boston in Group C of the NBA Cup, East. For its part, Washington is 0-2 and, barring a miracle, should therefore go no further in the competition.
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– Delicate match for the “Frenchies” of the Wizards. Bilal Coulibaly scored his first 3-pointer but, behind, the Blues rear suffered offensively. Between the airballs, the bowls and the poster on Neemias Queta narrowly missed, nothing pleased the sophomore, who finished with 6 points at 2/9 shooting. Not much more success for Alexandre Sarr, who still cannot find the target from afar, but who had an interesting passage in the third quarter with his movements towards the circle.
– Jaylen Brown on his 31. Clumsy, like his partners, for three quarters, the MVP of the last Finals knew how to tighten the game when necessary, by scoring his last three shots to definitively dismiss the Wizards. Including this rainbow shot against Kyle Kuzma which definitively folds the meeting.
– The Celtics racket has a hole in it. Without Kristaps Porzingis or Al Horford, the Celtics' ability to intimidate near the circle is largely reduced and the Wizards have taken advantage of it. They thus scored 52 points in the racket of their opponents, who for their part were content with 30 points scored under the circle.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
