Boston Celtics fall to Wizards in sloppy bench showcase

The Boston Celtics close out the regular season with a 96-90 loss to the Washington Wizards.

In the final game of the shortened regular season, the Boston Celtics fell to the Washington Wizards by a score of 96-90. Washington picked up their first win of the bubble, while the Cs were resting most of their key rotation players, as they were already locked into the third seed out east.

Boston rested Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kemba Walker, Gordon Hayward, Daniel Theis, and Marcus Smart ahead of their upcoming playoff series against Philadelphia. In their place, Boston ran out a starting lineup of Tremont Waters, Romeo Langford, Javonte Green, Semi Ojeleye, and Enes Kanter.

Green led the team on Thursday afternoon, scoring 23 points in a team-high 34 minutes. He was hitting the outside shot, draining three threes, while still being able to drive and finish at the rim.

If the team needs a spark off the bench in the playoffs, he could be an option on the wing to give the offense a jump start.

Behind Green, the Boston Celtics struggled to get anything going on offense.

Brad Wanamaker and Robert Williams, the only two set rotation players to see the floor come the playoffs, scored six points each in 24 minutes combined. They both continued their improvements in the bubble, cementing their spots in the rotation.

Langford recorded six points, four rebounds, and four assists in 30 minutes of action. He only shot 3-9 from the field, but showed a willingness to drive to the basket on multiple occasions. For him to crack the rotation, he’ll need to hit his jumper more efficiently, as he only went 5-26 on the year from beyond the arc.

However, late in the game, the Boston Celtics lost the rookie to a sprained wrist, and he would not return. Although likely not a huge injury, it’s concerning for Langford, as he’s had previous wrist issues in college and earlier on in the year.

Semi Ojeleye has made steady improvements as an offensive asset, showing off his increased range from downtown.

He finished with 13 points on 4-11 shooting, 2-6 from distance, to go along with eight rebounds and two assists. He’ll likely never be an above-average play-maker off the dribble, but the third-year forward has shown progress in his jump shot, willingly taking deep threes when he’s left open.

Who knows where he slots into the rotation for the playoffs, but he will most certainly get a chance versus Giannis and the Bucks if Boston faces them.

Grant Williams still provides an interesting option as a small-ball center in certain lineups, but his jump shot has left much to be desired in Orlando. He finished with seven points and eight rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench, only going 1-5 from three.

The duo of Tremont Waters and Carsen Edwards both struggled as well in the regular-season finale.

Combined, they went 5-25 from the field and 2-12 from three, finishing with 15 points. When the majority of both of their games revolve around scoring and shot-making, sometimes games like this will happen.

It’s nothing to get concerned about, but they most likely won’t see the floor during meaningful playoff minutes.

As for the Wizards, Thomas Bryant led his squad to their first and only win in the bubble. He shot 10-15 from the field for 26 points, while grabbing nine rebounds and four steals. It’ll be interesting to see if Washington looks at Bryant as a valuable piece for the future, considering his defensive liabilities shown throughout the season.

Behind Bryant, Troy Brown Jr. and Ish Smith scored 17 and 11, respectively.

The Boston Celtics lost their final regular-season game, finishing one win shy of their total last season. Considering they played 10 less games due to COVID-19, this regular season was a complete success.

Now, it’s playoff time!