Tatum scores 35 points and Celtics ride 3rd-quarter rally to beat Wizards 133-129 for 40th win
BOSTON (AP) Jayson Tatum scored 35 points and sparked a third-quarter rally to help the NBA-leading Boston Celtics get their 40th win of the season, 133-129 over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
Kristaps Porzingis added 34 points and 11 rebounds, and Jrue Holiday finished with 20 points for the Celtics (40-12), who reached 40 victories the fastest in a season since the 2008-09 squad did it in 49 games. It was Tatum’s 20th game this season in which he scored 30 or more points.
“We are working on playing very intentional basketball,” said Jaylen Brown, who had 18 points. “It's a full journey in a season. It's going to be highs and lows. It's going to be games where shots are not going in and through at all. We've got to stick together. And that's what we've been doing.”
Deni Avdija had 24 points and 11 rebounds, and Corey Kispert also scored 24 for the Wizards, who have lost five straight. Bilal Coulibaly finished with 21 points.
The Wizards stayed in it for most of the night, going 20 of 47 from the 3-point line. Washington led by as many as eight in the third quarter and closed within 131-127 in the final minute. But Boston was able to close it out at the foul line.
Boston has been prone to lulls at times this season, but coach Joe Mazzulla dismissed the notion his team is falling into bad habits.
“I don't think they're bad habits. I do think there have been some moments of slippage throughout games,” Mazzulla said. “What I care about more is our approach to those slippages.”
The response Friday was to play one of the best third quarters of the season.
Trailing by six at the half, Boston opened the third period on a 15-8 run and regained the lead at 79-78 with a 3 by Porzingis. The flurry included a driving one-handed dunk by Tatum over Kyle Kuzma.
They were two of Tatum’s 13 points in the quarter as the Celtics outscored the Wizards 36-16, held Washington to 7-of-22 shooting from the field and forced six turnovers to take a 100-87 lead into the fourth.
“We knew they were going to try to come out in the third quarter and get physical with us and affect us a little bit,” Wizards interim coach Brian Keefe said. “We battled back and that's part of the growth for us, that resiliency. ... We end up winning three of the four quarters. Just a tough third.”
It erased what started out as a promising night for the Wizards.
Washington led 71-64 at halftime, getting 19 points from Poole and 26 fast-break points against the NBA’s top-rated defense. Boston entered the night allowing opponents only 13.6 fast break points per game.
Poole’s burst came just a game after he was held scoreless for the first time since 2021.
The Celtics went 4 for 19 from 3-point range in the half. They shot just 11 of 24 from the field in the second quarter, with seven of their 13 missed field goals coming inside the paint.
UP NEXT
Wizards: Host the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.
Celtics: At the Miami Heat on Sunday.
---
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Copyright 2024 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Deni Avdija vs. Kristaps Porzingis (Derrick White gains possession) | ||
| 11:41 | | Jrue Holiday misses two point driving reverse layup | ||
| 11:39 |  | Bilal Coulibaly defensive rebound | ||
| 11:37 | | Tyus Jones turnover (lost ball) (Derrick White steals) | ||
| 11:32 | | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point running layup (Jaylen Brown assists) | 0-2 |
| 11:14 | | +2 | Jordan Poole makes two point jump shot (Kyle Kuzma assists) | 2-2 |
| 11:01 | | +2 | Kristaps Porzingis makes two point pullup jump shot | 2-4 |
| 10:52 | | Bilal Coulibaly misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:51 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 10:46 | | Jordan Poole personal foul (Kristaps Porzingis draws the foul) | ||
| 10:41 | | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point driving layup | 2-6 |
| 10:32 | | Jordan Poole misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 10:30 | | Kristaps Porzingis defensive rebound | ||
| 10:24 | | +2 | Kristaps Porzingis makes two point running finger roll layup (Jrue Holiday assists) | 2-8 |
| 10:12 | | +2 | Tyus Jones makes two point driving floating jump shot | 4-8 |
| 9:57 | | Jayson Tatum misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:55 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 9:51 | | +2 | Deni Avdija makes two point running layup | 6-8 |
| 9:51 | | Jaylen Brown shooting foul (Deni Avdija draws the foul) | ||
| 9:51 | | +1 | Deni Avdija makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 7-8 |
| 9:32 | | Kyle Kuzma shooting foul (Kristaps Porzingis draws the foul) | ||
| 9:32 | | +1 | Kristaps Porzingis makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 7-9 |
| 9:32 | | +1 | Kristaps Porzingis makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 7-10 |
| 9:22 | | Kristaps Porzingis personal foul (Bilal Coulibaly draws the foul) | ||
| 9:16 | | Bilal Coulibaly misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:14 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 9:01 | | +2 | Jrue Holiday makes two point layup (Jayson Tatum assists) | 7-12 |
| 8:41 | | Deni Avdija turnover (bad pass) (Jrue Holiday steals) | ||
| 8:33 | | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point driving layup (Jayson Tatum assists) | 7-14 |
| 8:19 | | +3 | Jordan Poole makes three point jump shot (Kyle Kuzma assists) | 10-14 |
| 8:06 | | +2 | Jrue Holiday makes two point driving finger roll layup (Derrick White assists) | 10-16 |
| 8:00 | | Kyle Kuzma misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:58 | | Kristaps Porzingis defensive rebound | ||
| 7:48 | | Jayson Tatum misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 7:46 | | Jordan Poole defensive rebound | ||
| 7:43 | | +2 | Kyle Kuzma makes two point running dunk (Jordan Poole assists) | 12-16 |
| 7:42 | | Celtics 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:24 | | Kristaps Porzingis misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 7:22 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 7:18 | | +3 | Kyle Kuzma makes three point running pullup jump shot (Deni Avdija assists) | 15-16 |
| 7:06 | | Derrick White misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:05 | | Kyle Kuzma defensive rebound | ||
| 6:53 | | Jordan Poole misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:50 | | Bilal Coulibaly offensive rebound | ||
| 6:47 | | Jordan Poole misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:46 | | Bilal Coulibaly offensive rebound | ||
| 6:43 | | Kyle Kuzma misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:41 | | Jrue Holiday defensive rebound | ||
| 6:33 | | Jayson Tatum misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:31 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 6:21 | | +2 | Jordan Poole makes two point driving floating bank jump shot | 17-16 |
| 6:06 | | Kristaps Porzingis misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 6:04 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 6:02 | | Deni Avdija turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 5:43 | | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point turnaround jump shot | 17-18 |
| 5:24 | | Deni Avdija misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 5:22 | | Kristaps Porzingis defensive rebound | ||
| 5:17 | | Kristaps Porzingis misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 5:16 | | Jordan Poole defensive rebound | ||
| 5:10 | | +3 | Tyus Jones makes three point stepback jump shot (Jordan Poole assists) | 20-18 |
| 4:55 | | Bilal Coulibaly personal foul (Kristaps Porzingis draws the foul) | ||
| 4:50 | | +2 | Kristaps Porzingis makes two point cutting dunk (Jaylen Brown assists) | 20-20 |
| 4:29 | | Bilal Coulibaly misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:28 | | Kristaps Porzingis defensive rebound | ||
| 4:27 | | Eugene Omoruyi personal foul (Kristaps Porzingis draws the foul) | ||
| 4:08 | | Sam Hauser misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:07 | | Bilal Coulibaly defensive rebound | ||
| 4:01 | | Kristaps Porzingis blocks Bilal Coulibaly's two point running layup | ||
| 4:00 | | Al Horford defensive rebound | ||
| 3:53 | | Derrick White turnover (lost ball) (Corey Kispert steals) | ||
| 3:47 | | Kyle Kuzma misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 3:46 | | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | ||
| 3:39 | | +3 | Al Horford makes three point running jump shot (Derrick White assists) | 20-23 |
| 3:37 | | Wizards 60 second timeout | ||
| 3:26 | | +2 | Jordan Poole makes two point driving layup | 22-23 |
| 3:20 | | Payton Pritchard misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:18 | | Corey Kispert defensive rebound | ||
| 3:10 | | +3 | Corey Kispert makes three point running jump shot (Deni Avdija assists) | 25-23 |
| 2:51 | | Jaylen Brown misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 2:50 | | Al Horford offensive rebound | ||
| 2:50 | | Al Horford misses two point tip layup | ||
| 2:49 | | Eugene Omoruyi defensive rebound | ||
| 2:41 | | +2 | Corey Kispert makes two point driving floating jump shot (Eugene Omoruyi assists) | 27-23 |
| 2:23 | | Corey Kispert shooting foul (Sam Hauser draws the foul) | ||
| 2:23 | | +1 | Sam Hauser makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 27-24 |
| 2:23 | | +1 | Sam Hauser makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 27-25 |
| 2:09 | | +2 | Eugene Omoruyi makes two point driving layup (Jordan Poole assists) | 29-25 |
| 2:03 | | Jrue Holiday turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 1:53 | | +2 | Deni Avdija makes two point driving layup (Jordan Poole assists) | 31-25 |
| 1:41 | | Jayson Tatum misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:40 | | Corey Kispert defensive rebound | ||
| 1:31 | | Jordan Poole misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 1:29 | | Wizards offensive rebound | ||
| 1:29 | | Al Horford personal foul (Loose ball) (Eugene Omoruyi draws the foul) | ||
| 1:16 | | Landry Shamet turnover (lost ball) (Al Horford steals) | ||
| 1:00 | | Payton Pritchard misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:58 | | Jrue Holiday offensive rebound | ||
| 0:51 | | Sam Hauser misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:49 | | Corey Kispert defensive rebound | ||
| 0:45 | | +2 | Eugene Omoruyi makes two point running dunk (Corey Kispert assists) | 33-25 |
| 0:30 | | Jayson Tatum misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 0:28 | | Al Horford offensive rebound | ||
| 0:25 | | +3 | Jayson Tatum makes three point jump shot (Al Horford assists) | 33-28 |
| 0:02 | | +2 | Jordan Poole makes two point stepback jump shot | 35-28 |
| 0:00 | | +3 | Payton Pritchard makes three point pullup bank jump shot (Jrue Holiday assists) | 35-31 |
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:47 | | Jordan Poole misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:45 | | Payton Pritchard defensive rebound | ||
| 11:30 | | Jayson Tatum misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 11:28 | | Landry Shamet defensive rebound | ||
| 11:22 | | Jordan Poole misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 11:20 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 11:12 | | Sam Hauser misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:10 | | Corey Kispert defensive rebound | ||
| 11:04 | | Jordan Poole turnover (bad pass) (Sam Hauser steals) | ||
| 10:58 | | Jordan Poole personal foul (Jrue Holiday draws the foul) | ||
| 10:51 | | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point jump shot (Jrue Holiday assists) | 35-33 |
| 10:31 | | Jordan Poole misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:29 | | Sam Hauser defensive rebound | ||
| 10:19 | | Jrue Holiday misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 10:18 | | Eugene Omoruyi defensive rebound | ||
| 10:05 | | Eugene Omoruyi misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:03 | | Payton Pritchard defensive rebound | ||
| 9:43 | | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point bank jump shot | 35-35 |
| 9:43 | | Delon Wright shooting foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | ||
| 9:43 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 35-36 |
| 9:32 | | Sam Hauser shooting foul (Jordan Poole draws the foul) | ||
| 9:32 | | +1 | Jordan Poole makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 36-36 |
| 9:32 | | +1 | Jordan Poole makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 37-36 |
| 9:18 | | Kyle Kuzma technical foul (Defensive three second) | ||
| 9:24 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes technical free throw 1 of 1 | 37-37 |
| 9:17 | | Sam Hauser misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:15 | | Corey Kispert defensive rebound | ||
| 9:10 | | Luke Kornet shooting foul (Kyle Kuzma draws the foul) | ||
| 9:10 | | +1 | Kyle Kuzma makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 38-37 |
| 9:10 | | +1 | Kyle Kuzma makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 39-37 |
| 8:46 | | +2 | Jrue Holiday makes two point driving floating jump shot | 39-39 |
| 8:38 | | Kyle Kuzma misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:37 | | Payton Pritchard defensive rebound | ||
| 8:27 | | Landry Shamet shooting foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | ||
| 8:27 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 39-40 |
| 8:27 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 39-41 |
| 8:15 | | Corey Kispert misses two point driving layup | ||
| 8:14 | | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | ||
| 8:04 | | +2 | Jrue Holiday makes two point cutting finger roll layup (Derrick White assists) | 39-43 |
| 7:56 | | Wizards 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:54 | | +2 | Tyus Jones makes two point floating jump shot (Corey Kispert assists) | 41-43 |
| 7:40 | | +3 | Jayson Tatum makes three point stepback jump shot | 41-46 |
| 7:24 | | Luke Kornet blocks Corey Kispert's two point driving reverse layup | ||
| 7:22 | | Bilal Coulibaly offensive rebound | ||
| 7:19 | | Corey Kispert misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:18 | | Jrue Holiday defensive rebound | ||
| 7:08 | | +2 | Derrick White makes two point driving finger roll layup (Jaylen Brown assists) | 41-48 |
| 7:00 | | +3 | Bilal Coulibaly makes three point pullup jump shot (Deni Avdija assists) | 44-48 |
| 6:50 | | Jaylen Brown misses two point driving layup | ||
| 6:48 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 6:45 | | Bilal Coulibaly misses two point running finger roll layup | ||
| 6:45 | | Kyle Kuzma offensive rebound | ||
| 6:40 | | +3 | Bilal Coulibaly makes three point jump shot (Kyle Kuzma assists) | 47-48 |
| 6:22 | | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point driving finger roll layup | 47-50 |
| 6:12 | | Bilal Coulibaly misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:11 | | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | ||
| 6:01 | | Jaylen Brown turnover (bad pass) (Corey Kispert steals) | ||
| 5:57 | | +3 | Corey Kispert makes three point running pullup jump shot | 50-50 |
| 5:56 | | Celtics 60 second timeout | ||
| 5:33 |