The Boston Celtics center had a career-night working, but he adjusted and played great instead of chasing a career-high.
— The Celtics got a big early punch from Neemias Queta, a season-high in minutes from Jayson Tatum, and a tank-tastic performance from the Washington Wizards to bounce back from two-straight losses. Boston casually strolled past the Wizards 111-100.
Neither team could hit a shot early, but the Celtics built a nine-point lead behind 13 points from Neemias Queta. Washington answered with three three-pointers from Tristan Vukcevic to tie the game, and they shot 7-16 overall from three in the first quarter. ButThe Celtics continued to struggle from deep in the second quarter until Sam Hauser got going, which helped fuel a 16-2 start to the second. The Celtics also rebounded well, keeping Washington off the offensive glass during the run. Queta kept his run going as well, helping the lead get to 23 at halftime.got going early in the third as the lead got up to 30, but the Celtics gave up a late run that actually cut into Boston’s lead, making it 21 after three quarters. Tatum did play the full 12 minutes for the first time this season. The lead got down to 16 at one point but Luka Garza was able to help get it back over 20. Then the Wizards made another push, getting the lead down to 14 as the Celtics got sloppy and cold from the field.Life as a center is great when the Wizards come to town. Queta scored 22 points on 10-12 shooting in the first half. He didn’t score again until there were about four-and-a-half minutes left, instead focusing more on rebounding, screening, and ball-movement after halftime.They finished with 29 assists, but it wasn’t just the passes that led to baskets that were good. They did a good job making the right reads and not forcing a lot of shots. There could have been 5-10 more assists if guys made shots.The Wizards only had four offensive rebounds through the first three quarters as Boston was building their big lead. There was a little letting the foot off the gas happening in the fourth quarter, which led to a bunch of second chances that helped get things close, but the Celtics rebounded well when it mattered most.Let’s be completely honest here. Everyone in TD Garden was happy with this result. The Wizards are aggressively tanking, and they are not about to give up their spot as the third-worst team in the league. They’d be one of three teams with a 14% chance at the top overall pick, which is the only thing they're trying to win right now. Why else would they sub out Tristan Vukcevic after he hit two three-pointers and was +9 with four minutes to go?A mostly great night that is still a work in progress from an efficiency standpoint. He shot 8-19 and 2-9 from deep, but he had a nice array of moves that got him good looks. He attacked well and got to good spots even when he missed. His rebounding is a huge help. “Just giving the game what it needs on the offensive end, reading 2-on-1s, executing defensively, rebounding, understanding personnel, who he's guarding, competing,” Joe Mazzulla said. “So just the details and the simple things, continuing to get in shape. But right now, the most important thing is just giving the game what it needs on both ends of the floor, and he's doing a good job of that.”The stat line doesn’t jump off the page but the potential assists were here. Boston missed most of the shots he created. “I thought he got off to a great start just facilitating on the offensive end,” Mazzulla said. “ got us off to a great start from a momentum point. Sometimes the box score is unforgiving because it doesn't show the things that you did to put your team in a better position to win, and I thought he did those.”He was on his way to a career-high, but he smartly adjusted as the Wizards changed up their defense to account for his scoring. He’s grown into a much more capable finisher around the rim, so he can feast on some nights. I’m actually impressed that he didn’t get too caught up in it.He shot 4-11 from three and was second only to Derrick White in +/- with a +29. He had a beauty of a pass early in the game to Luka Garza.Derrick White: B+ He was a team-high +33. The shooting just isn't there this season, which is a problem, but he got himself to the line six times and was perfect. He does everything, so he’s still impactful without the shooting.Payton Pritchard: C He got good looks but couldn't hit a thing. I’m giving him credit for creating the looks and doing other things, but it was a tough game for him.He’s kind of in the same boat as Pritchard. He had a couple of moments here and there, but otherwise, blah.His only box score stats were three personal fouls and -22. Do you know how hard it is to be -22 in a game the team led by 30 and won by 11? Tough night for the kid.JOHN KARALIS John Karalis is a 20-year veteran of Celtics coverage and was nominated for NSMA's Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year in 2019. He has hosted the Locked On Celtics podcast since 2016 and has written two books about the Celtics. John was born and raised in Pawtucket, RI. He graduated from Shea High School in Pawtucket, where he played football, soccer, baseball, and basketball and was captain of the baseball and basketball teams. John graduated from Emerson College in Boston with a Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcast Journalism and was a member of their Gold Key Honor Society. He was a four-year starter and two-year captain of the Men’s Basketball team, and remains one of the school's top all-time scorers, and Emerson's all-time leading rebounder. He is also the first Emerson College player to play professional basketball . John started his career in television, producing and creating shows since 1997. He spent nine years at WBZ, launching two different news and lifestyle shows before ascending to Executive Producer and Managing Editor. He then went to New York, where he was a producer and reporter until 2018. John is one of Boston’s original Celtics bloggers, creating RedsArmy.com in 2006. In 2018, John joined the Celtics beat full-time for MassLive.com and then went to Boston Sports Journal in 2021, where he covered the Celtics for five years. He has hosted the Locked On Celtics podcast since 2016, and it currently ranks as the #1 Boston Celtics podcast on iTunes and Spotify rankings. He is also one of the co-hosts of the Locked on NBA podcast.
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