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Essentially locked into the No. 2 seed, and facing a far-inferior opponent, the Celtics could have easily fallen for the trap Sunday night and stooped to the lowly Wizards’ level.
Instead, they did what they do best, playing crisp and purposeful basketball en route to a resounding 124-90 triumph at TD Garden.
“It was fun. We were just flying around,” Celtics guard Derrick White said. “There are so many different ways for us to attack teams. We’re just trying to create an advantage and keeping that advantage.”
With Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis sidelined, the Celtics (58-20) had no trouble breezing past a Wizards (17-61) team that put up about as much resistance as one might expect.
Seven Celtics finished in double figures, led by Payton Pritchard with 20, White with 19 and Sam Hauser with 18. Luke Kornet got the start and racked up 13 points and 14 rebounds in 26 minutes, as Boston left no doubt against a team in the mix for Cooper Flagg.
“I don’t think the team matters,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “It’s just a matter of sticking to the process.”
Boston shot 46.2 percent from 3-point range percent and out-rebounded the Wizards, 62-32. Marcus Smart didn’t play, despite several attempts from the fans to cajole Winchester native and current Wizards head coach Brian Keefe.
The Celtics found a rhythm early, bolting out to a 34-18 edge through one. Boston buried seven 3-pointers, racked up nine assists and didn’t turn the ball over. Jaylen Brown made a conscious effort to get his teammates involved, finishing the first quarter with four assists.
Boston consistently made the extra pass and turned down good looks for great ones. Jrue Holiday and Al Horford were catalysts, and Kornet and White also contributed.
“He’s unbelievable,” White said of Kornet. “He just always seems to be in the right place. He just makes the game easier for everybody. If there is a miss, you always know Big Luke’s going to most likely get a hand on it.”
The second quarter was largely more of the same, as Boston extended the margin to 60-39 at halftime. The Celtics’ first turnover came with 8:43 left in the second quarter, and they finished the half with just three, compared to 18 assists.
The defense was also sharp for the most part, as Boston committed just three fouls and held Washington to 34.8 percent shooting (13 percent from 3) in the half. Players like Jordan Poole and Bub Carrington are going to hit some shots, but the Celtics limited them to a combined 1 for 11 from 3 before the break.
Torrey Craig provided a steady dose of physicality and toughness, blocking three shots and corralling five boards in the half.
The Wizards briefly cut it to 16, then a White 3 helped spark another Celtics run. Brown, who perhaps dove on the floor a bit more than fans may like given his knee injury, hit a string of contested shots. Kornet helped the Celtics retain possession on a hustle play and celebrated with a demonstrative point.
Baylor Scheierman splashed a 3, then stole a pas and delivered a pretty behind-the-back pass to Holiday for two, then swished another 3 in a span of a minute to help Boston push the margin to 100-68 through three.
“The flashy passes and everything he does is cool, but I think he’s doing a lot of other stuff for us that’s helping us win games and has really created some more opportunities for him,” White said of Scheierman.
The fourth quarter was a formality, and it provided Pritchard, Hauser, Scheierman and the rest of the Celtics an opportunity for some target practice.
The Celtics have now won two straight, 11 of their last 12 and 16 of 18. They’ll face the Knicks on the road Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. That one should be a bit more competitive than this one.
Now, it’s about fine-tuning the operation to ensure they’re as ready as possible when the lights are bright.
“Every team is better than us at something,” Mazzulla said, “so we have to be as versatile as we can.”
