The Washington wizards batteld hard at home, but Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s combined 69 points proved to be too much to overcome. Celtics 126, Wizards 107 was the final score.
The last time the Celtics visited Capital One Arena before Monday night’s game was in March 2023. The Wizards defeated the Celtics 130–111 in the end of that game. It appeared as though the Celtics were seeking revenge this time. The game was ignited by them.
With Daniel Gafford sidelined due to an ankle injury, the Wizards started the game with a small-ball lineup of Tyus Jones, Jordan Poole, Bilal Coulibaly, Deni Avdija, and Kyle Kuzma (Coulibaly set a Wizards franchise record as the youngest player to start in a game at 19 years and 96 days old). With no Gafford, the Celtics asserted themselves down low right away. Their first eight points came in the paint. After that, the Wizards were forced to adjust and the three-point line was opened up.
Jaylen Brown was the primary threat from deep in the first half. He dropped 27 points on 7-of-10 shooting from behind the arc in the first two quarters, helping the Celtics at one point take a 73-39 lead.
The Wizards battled, going on a brief 10-0 run at the close of the second quarter to close the deficit just before halftime. The Celtics lead 77-51 at the break. The Wizards put up a strong fight in the second half, but it was too little, too late. The harm had already been done.
With 21 points on 9 of 15 shooting from the field, five rebounds, and four assists, Kyle Kuzma led the way for the Wizards.
Washington’s next game is a road trip to Atlanta to play the Hawks.
