POST GAME WASHINGTON - AWAY

Crowder atones for error with game-winning layup

CSNNE

A. SHERROD BLAKLEY

In the middle of a tightly contested game with mere seconds remaining, Boston’s Jae Crowder was whistled for a technical foul after having some words for one of the Washington Wizards’ coaches.

But to Crowder’s credit, he made up for the miscue with a game-winning lay-up as Boston rallied for a 119-117 win.

Boston (22-19) has now won three straight while snapping Washington’s four-game winning streak in the process.

There were several players who came up with big plays in the game’s closing moments, but none loomed as large as Crowder’s game-winning basket. Credit head coach Brad Stevens for drawing up the play, knowing full well that the Wizards were looking for Boston to call a play for Isaiah Thomas who led all Celtics scorers with 32 points.

For Washington, their all-star point guard John Wall dominated play most of the night and had a chance to force overtime following Crowder’s shot. Wall went coast-to-coast, drove into the lane and missed what would have been a game-tying lay-up. He finished with a game-high 36 points along with seven rebounds, 13 assists and seven steals.

It was a fitting ending considering the number of unusual calls, most of which were in Washington’s favor, in the game’s closing moments.

In addition to the technical foul on Crowder, Johnson was called for a personal foul on a Wall 3-point attempt.

When the Wizards watch the video of this game afterwards, there can be no complaints on their part about not having enough opportunities to win. They were at home and they got calls down the stretch. But none of that mattered when the game mattered most.

Boston did what they somehow manage to do consistently on the road, which is keep the game relatively close, execute down the stretch and come away with the win.

It’s a formula they hope to stick with as they now move on to road games at Dallas on Monday and Toronto on Wednesday.
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Thomas’ 32 Points Lead Celtics To Win Over Wizards

SPORTS HUB 98.5 FM

By Ian Quillen

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jae Crowder scored on a go-ahead layup with 3.9 seconds left off a pass from Marcus Smart and the Boston Celtics outlasted the Washington Wizards for a 119-117 victory on Saturday night.

Isaiah Thomas scored 32 points to lead the Celtics, who won their third straight and snapped a three-game skid on the road.

Crowder added 22 points for Boston, which had five players in double figures and trailed by as many as 11 before halftime.

John Wall scored a season-high 36 points but missed a potential game-tying runner at the buzzer. He also had 13 assists and seven steals in 44 minutes. Washington was missing Bradley Beal, who sat out the second of back-to-back games.

Marcin Gortat scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in his return from a knee infection as Washington saw its four-game win streak snapped.

After falling behind 114-110 on Avery Bradley’s 3-pointer, the Wizards battled back to tie it at 117 when Garrett Temple hit a pair of free throws with 13.9 seconds remaining.

After a timeout, Smart found Crowder on the right block, and he sank his leaner off the glass.

Wall got the inbounds pass and raced the length of the court, but his layup fell off the rim and Nene’s follow came after the buzzer.

BEAL ON THE BENCH

Beal missed the game after scoring 22 points in 22 minutes in Friday night’s victory at Indiana. He had returned from a 16-game-layoff (lower right leg stress reaction) on Wednesday.

“The doctors make that decision,” coach Randy Wittman said of Beal’s absence.

Beal is averaging 19.4 points over 19 games. Both Wittman and Beal have said the guard’s minutes would be limited early in his return from injury.

TIP-INS

Celtics: Jared Sullinger scored 14 points but fouled out for the second time this season. He picked up his second and third fouls in a 55-second stretch of the second quarter and was called for his fourth and fifth personals in the span of 16 seconds in the third. … Guard R.J. Hunter was assigned to the NBDL’s Maine Red Claw.

Wizards: F Otto Porter (right hip) missed his second straight game and F Kris Humphries (right knee) missed his seventh . Wittman said F/G Alan Anderson (left ankle surgery) is “doing small stuff on the court.” He wouldn’t outline at a timetable for his return for the 33-year-old veteran, who hasn’t played this season.

UP NEXT

Celtics: At Dallas on Monday.

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I missed the last 3 minutes or so due to a previous commitment.

It should be noted that Otto Parts, Beal and Kris Humphries did not play at all and we still needed a 36 point 4th quarter to win.


1.  Good game by Sully, although Gortat was exploiting his lack of height at center by repeatedly going over his back and slapping rebounds out to other Wizards.  Sully fouled out on some weak calls, I thought.  14 points on 6-10 and 9 boards is pretty good for 21 minutes.  He started AND he had a good game.  A nice surprise.

2.  Wall was unstoppable all night.  THAT is what Terry Rozier can turn into.  He has that speed, he has a decent mid-range jumper and he plays off of pnrs well and he's a better defender already.  Wall was unbelievable.  Isaiah was Isaiah.  His 5 assists and 7 TOs was a downer as he made his usual dumbass LIVE TOs that turned into transition points for them but he was a killer from downtown as 5 of his 6 fgm were from 3. He got 15 of his 32 points from the line. This is why getting someone like Jordan or Howard gives me hives. Do we really want a player on the floor that other teams can and will foul to take the ball out of Thomas' hands at the frito line? I want a rim protector but if they have to run away from everybody in a different color jersey because they want to intentionally foul him, then I don't want him that much.

3.  I didn't see the end, so didn't see the Crowder layup to win, but he has turned into a very, very solid player all-round.  The 22 points on 9-18 is pretty nice but the 8 rebounds, 6 assists and zero TOs is really impressive.  At a time when we are all looking at the roster and wondering who will, and who should, be gone Jae Crowder is a definite keeper.  It looks like he actually has trouble dunking, he's SO big and solid, but he has been finishing nicely lately and his increasing point totals are showing that.  He's finishing his layups, playing through contact.

4.  Marcus Smart finished well last night.  I've made a big deal about how he doesn't finish well, so I'm happy to point out he repeatedly finished well last night.  The ball flowed off his fingers rather than shooting with his forearm, even up close.  I can definitely live with 4-9 from him.  He had a few bone-headed TOs but, oh well...

5.  We are in the middle of an Evan Turnover revival tour.  He's back to making me crazy.

6.  Tyler Zeller played 5 minutes and looked like they were the first 5 minutes he has played all year, which it close to the truth.  

7.  Amir was credited with zero TOs.  That means that at least 2-3 of IT's TOs should have gone to him.  A couple of stone-hands last night.


We won.  It wasn't pretty, maybe even more than a little lucky, but we won.  It should have been a bigger victory given the absense of Beal and Porter and that's the source of the slightly unpleasant aftertaste in my mouth.  Now let's beat Dallas and improve that draft pick.

Brooklyn lost.  


bob


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Bob the final 3 minutes took about 20 to play.

You missed a block called on Smart that should/could have gone the other way, a very iffy foul on a three, then the Tech on Crowder after taking a hand across the face and apparently for yelling an obscenity at the Washington bench.

So they were without a couple players...............suck it up we've been there too.

Refs should have gotten credit for about 3 steals themselves !!

beat

bob John Wall started as a rookie and even then had that speed and ability to take it end to end.....I agree that Rozier has speed and athleticism, but have not seen any of the end to end ability you mentioned, very few speedy points have that end to end ability Wall has.