Wizards Blow 23 Point Lead, Edge Celtics in 2OT
The nightmare a te
am never wants to wake up to…the Washington Wizards ended up blowing a 23 point lead to the Boston Celtics, but still found a way to win. A game everyone thought was over after the third quarter ended up being a classic at the Verizon Center tonight. The Wizards found a way to come through as a team and win 133-132 in 2OT over the Celtics at the Verizon Center.
The Wizards were firing from all cylinders in the first half, converting 56% of their shots from the field. The Wizards and Celtics showed strong offensive efforts in the first quarter as both teams went back and forth scoring baskets. The Wizards held a slim 30-29 lead after the first quarter and showed a strong defensive effort in the second quarter holding the Celtics to just 16 points. A very solid team effort helped propel the Wizards to a comfortable 58-45 lead going into the half.
The third quarter provided more electric offensive production from both the Celtics and Wizards. However, many points came off of turnovers from both squads as the Wizards committed eight turnovers and the Celtics six. The Wizards were still able to overcome their mental blunders and hold a 92-76 lead after three quarters of play. Paul Pierce converted 3 three point shots to help the Wizards continue their offensive thrashing.
A real scare came from the Celtics in the fourth quarter as they dominated the Wizards in every category of the game. The Wizards yet again committed many careless turnovers which gave the Celtics more opportunities to score, which they did. The Celtics outscored the Wizards 34-18 and forced the game into overtime after the Wizards blew what was once a 23 point lead.
The Celtics came out strong in the first overtime and looked to have control of the game as their bench continued to produce at a tremendous rate. “The Truth”, Paul Pierce, came into the clutch once again hitting his fourth three point jumper of the game to tie it up. The game headed to a second overtime as neither team was able to convert a score to win the game with 32.8 seconds left.
Foul trouble started to become a factor for both teams, the Celtics Forward Kelly Olynyk fouled out with 19 points and 11 rebounds providing an efficient game off the bench. Also, Paul Pierce and Kris Humphries of the Wizards, and Jeff Green of the Celtics, ended up with five fouls. The Wizards came through in the clutch as John Wall put the team on his back. Wall scored 10 points in the second overtime including the eventual game-winning shot with 44.6 seconds remaining.
The Celtics put up a great fight and made an incredible come back from down 23 points. The bench really helped the Celtics prevail and stay in the game by scoring 82 points in the loss. Jeff Green led the team with 28 points, but Evan Turner made the clutch three point shot to lead the team into overtime. Marcus Smart also had a tremendous game, the rookie posted 23 points and made 4-8 from downtown off the bench.
Topper’s Top Players: John Wall and Paul Pierce. Despite getting into early foul trouble, Pierce helped his team by making clutch shot after another and making 4-5 from the three point line. Pierce was the Wizards most consistent shooter from the field, he made 75% of his shots which was the team high. Wall had nine turnovers…with that being said, he was still able to find a way to dish out 17 assists and was just three rebounds shy of a triple-double. He also improved in the second overtime and was able score 10 points and one being the game winner.
The Wizards record improves to 14-6 and are currently in third place in the Eastern Conference. Randy Wittman’s team will will travel to Orlando and take on the Magic Wednesday night at the Amway Center.
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