WASHINGTON – Bradley Beal scored 13 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter and the Washington Wizards extended their home winning streak to 14 games with a 123-108 victory over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night.
John Wall added 27 points, and Markieff Morris had 19 points and 11 rebounds as the Wizards never trailed while scoring their most points this season.
It came in a game they openly labeled a grudge match, even arriving at the Verizon Center in funeral-themed black clothing.
Isaiah Thomas scored 25 points and had 13 assists, but shot 1 of 7 in the fourth quarter in Boston’s third straight loss.
Al Horford added 22 points and Jae Crowder had 17 for Celtics. Boston allowed the Wizards to shoot 57.8 percent from the floor, its worst field goal percentage defense of the season.
Upset at perceived dirty play by the Celtics in the teams’ first two meetings, the Wizards arrived at the Verizon Center in an array of black attire.
On Jan. 11, the Celtics’ 117-108 victory ended with Wall and Crowder trading verbal barbs that nearly escalated. Both were later fined.
There was only minor tension this time around as the Wizards controlled the game throughout.
After building their lead to 12 three times in the second half, Washington finally stretched it to 110-97 when Beal hit a driving bank shot, absorbed Marcus Smart’s foul and converted a three-point play.
A few possessions later, Beal stole Crowder’s pass to Thomas and converted a finger roll to make it 114-100. Wall’s dunk and three-point play over Kelly Olynyk, complete with a biceps flex in the middle, made it 119-104.
TIP-INS
Celtics: Shot 2 of 12 (16.7 percent) from 3-point range in the first quarter. . Thomas scored 20 or more points for the 28th consecutive game. . C Tyler Zeller was available for the first time since a sinus infection sidelined him at the start of the new year. He did not play.
Wizards: Hold the league’s longest active home winning streak and would tie their third-longest in franchise history with their next home win. … Made their first six field goals to take an early 13-6 lead. . Improved to 3-7 in the second game of back-to-back sets.
FASHION SENSE
Wall’s black apparel consisted of a designer T-shirt beneath a varsity-style jacket as he arrived at Verizon Center on Tuesday. Otto Porter went the more formal route with an all-black suit, complete with black shirt, tie and sunglasses.
Coach Scott Brooks appreciated the team-bonding nature of the fashion theme, but resisted joining in.
“My daughter just texted me and she said, `Do not wear your black jeans, because you kind of look a little chunky in them,”‘ Brooks said. “So I wore my blue jeans tonight.”
UP NEXT
Celtics: Complete their back-to-back set at home against Houston on Wednesday.
Wizards: Begin a two-game road swing at Atlanta on Friday.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
