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Wizards blown out in epic fashion by Jayson Tatum’s Celtics

By Chase Hughes

Wizards blown out in epic fashion by Jayson Tatum’s Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

The Washington Wizards lost to the Celtics 144-102 in Boston on Sunday afternoon. Here are five observations from what went down…

Celtics are tough

The Wizards have recently been playing their best basketball in months and when they ran into a buzzsaw on Friday night against the Mavericks, they jammed the blade. But on Sunday, the buzzsaw cut right through, as the red-hot Boston Celtics steamrolled the Wizards by 42 points in a game they were in control every step of the way.

While the Wizards led the Mavs by 34 points, the differential was even worse in this one. Boston was up by 43 points at their peak and the 42-point loss differential was the biggest for the Wizards in five years.

The loss snapped the Wizards out of a stretch in which they won four of five games. Washington dropped to 34-44 on the season with just four games left to play.

The loss to Boston began a three-game road trip, as the Wizards will next head to Minnesota to see the Timberwolves. They also play the Hawks in Atlanta the next night in what will be their final back-to-back of the 2021-22 season.

3-point defense

The Wizards had major problems locking down the perimeter against a Celtics team that entered the day ranked ninth in the NBA in threes made. Boston started out 9-for-13 from long range and finished the game 23-for-44. The 23 made threes were tied for the second-most ever allowed by the Wizards franchise. It’s hard to win against a team shooting that well and it was enough to offset what was a good offensive game from the Wizards.

There were a few threes made by the Celtics that were just tough shots, but also too many where guys were left open in the corners and on the wings. There were many communication breakdowns that left too much daylight for open shots. The Wizards played off Grant Williams a bit too much and he made them pay with 16 points on four threes. Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard also had four threes apiece, while Derrick White added three.

Ish Smith was on

The Wizards got a nice boost off their bench from Ish Smith, who came out on fire, hitting his first five shots. He made a series of crafty plays around the rim and generally seemed to give the Celtics problems with his speed and quickness. He had 16 points (8-10 FG), five assists and two steals; a solid all-around game for the longtime NBA veteran.

Smith remains a joy to watch, as he darts in and out of traffic, still a step ahead of most despite being 33 years old. There have been quite a few Wizards games over the past few seasons where the team lost, but Smith provided a bright spot with his effort and energy. Sometimes, in a disappointing season, you have to appreciate the positives and Smith coming back at the trade deadline and doing his thing has been one of them.

Two Jays

The Celtics are looking like a team nobody wants to face in the playoffs. They have the best record in the East since Jan. 1, now at 32-11, while Brown and Jayson Tatum are playing like an elite duo. Brown scored the Celtics’ first 11 points in this game, outscoring the Wizards 11-6 during that span. He ended up with 32 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Tatum has always been a marvel to watch and you can see he’s continuing to grow. He found Brown with a one-handed bounce pass in the second quarter that was really impressive, especially if you consider how good he is as a scorer. If he can make plays for others like that more consistently, he will go from one of the best scorers in the league to possibly one of the very best players in the league. Tatum had 22 points, seven assists, six rebounds, two steals and a block.

KP and KCP

The Wizards had been winning some games recently by playing better defense and sharing the ball on offense. But even with the ball movement and unselfish play, there has been a hierarchy to their offense with Kristaps Porzingis and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope leading the way and Rui Hachimura and Deni Avdija as the third and four options. In this game, Caldwell-Pope kept it rolling with 17 points. It was the rest of the team, outside of Smith, that struggled.

Porzingis was good early, but was held to 17 points on 5-for-15 shooting. Hachimura had a rare off-night with zero points on 0-for-5 from the field. Avdija picked up two quick fouls in 45 seconds and that hurt his rhythm, though he ended up with 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting. It was going to be tough for the Wizards’ offense in general, as the Celtics have the No. 1 defense. They do a great job of switching and stopping the ball with physical fronts. Their elite defense is another reason why Boston seems capable of a deep postseason run. The Wizards just happened to catch them as they are surging towards the playoffs.

Grant Hill on growing up in Virginia, wishing he played for Wizards

By Chase Hughes
Grant Hill on NoVa roots, wishing he played for Wizards originally appeared on NBC Sports WashingtonLong before he became a household name, Grant Hill was a kid growing up in Fairfax County, a star at South Lakes High School in Reston, VA. It all started there, before he was a legend at Duke University, a 7-time NBA All-Star and 2018 inductee of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.Hill is one of the greatest athletes ever from the Washington, D.C. area and he details that entire journey in his new autobiography called 'Game.' It is an all-encompassing look at Hill's remarkable life, including his formative years in Northern Virginia.Hill, 49, recalls a vibrant sports scene in the D.C. area and specifically Reston, where he followed in the footsteps of others en route to basketball stardom."I grew up in Reston, and obviously was proud of that and I went to South Lakes High School. I was proud of the greater sort of D.C. metropolitan area, [we didn't] call the DMV back then. But you know, there was a real sort of love and passion for sports. Obviously, the Redskins were huge and had some great years in the early 80s. Georgetown basketball, and Maryland basketball, were really big in the 80s as well. And then you just had some great athletes, particularly in basketball, coming of age during the 80s," Hill told NBC Sports Washington."I didn't have to look far for inspiration. I looked up to people who were right in Reston, Virginia; Michael Jackson, who played for South Lakes and then with Georgetown, Christy Winters [now Winters-Scott] who played at South Lakes and then with Maryland. [Also,] Dennis Scott, who was from Reston and went to Flint Hill and Georgia Tech."Hill found writing the autobiography an interesting and rewarding process, as it encouraged him to reflect on different points in his life with a renewed focus. He looked back at old pictures of his life and early career and dug deep to recall the details of those experiences.Hill was always looking forward as a star athlete, trying to get better, trying to win the next game. He found a greater appreciation for his accomplishments with the benefit of hindsight. He just had to set aside his instinct for humility to do so."I think you get to a point in life where you kind of look back and you realize, wow, you've been fortunate to do a lot of incredible things. And, so to be able to document that, and really tell my story, tell the ups and the downs, the highs, the lows, and hopefully have that not just be informative, but also hopefully be inspiring," he said."I know I enjoy reading about other people and reading autobiographies or biographies in general. And I always feel like I come away with something or I learn something, or as I said, I come away inspired. So, if I have an opportunity to do that with my story, then that would be great. So, it is a little bit of a vanity play, I think in some respects, but I think also to tell your story, there's something freeing and liberating about doing that."There were a few questions that came up in Hill's interview with NBC Sports Washington that did not relate directly to his book, but seem natural to ask given he is from the D.C. area. Like, for instance, did he ever come close to playing for the Wizards?Hill said the closest he came was in the early 2000s when Michael Jordan was in charge of the Wizards' front office. Jordan reached out to expres interest. It never materialized, but looking back, part of Hill wishes that he did play for the hometown team."I don't think there was ever really any serious thought or conversations or consideration about going back home. And, you know, I kind of wish that I had done it. It would have been kind of fun to go back and play at home in front of friends and family, in my hometown, and I think a fan base that really loves sports and appreciates high-level sport, particularly basketball," Hill said.Hill's polished media presence, intellect and seemingly universal popularity beg another question. Did he ever consider politics?"Well, you're universally liked until you run for office. Growing up in D.C., I always say that politics was like the next sport in that city, and was certainly the topic of conversation for everyone in the DMV. And I think I had aspirations or at least interest in the idea of that during that time, but so much in the world of politics has changed, and maybe not for the better, and to subject yourself and your family to what comes with that. I don't know, for me, if it outweighs the potential to influence change, and affect the world. So, that's not my calling. But there's other ways to participate in the political process and I certainly try to do that," he said.Hill believes his new book will be interesting to those who followed his career and also those who aren't sports fans. There's something for everyone, he says.For anyone who grew up in the D.C. area, there may be some relatable stories, besides the whole being a world-renowned basketball legend part, of course.
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