BOSTON — The Washington Wizards were in town on Sunday night for a game against the Boston Celtics. Neither team is playing for much down the stretch of the regular season, as the Celtics are effectively locked into the two seed, and the Wizards have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis were both out for the Celtics, Tatum due to an ankle sprain and Porzingis due to an illness. Meanwhile, the Wizards sported a lengthy injury report. From the jump, it was clear that the Celtics were heads and shoulders above Washington, and Boston’s lead grew larger and larger as the game went on.
In the end, the Celtics earned a 124-90 blowout victory over the Wizards. Here are 10 notes and observations from the game.
1. Marcus Smart was back in Boston
Anytime Marcus Smart returns to TD Garden, it will be a special occasion. Though the veteran guard did not play in this game, the Celtics fans in attendance still showed him love.
Before the contest tipped off, TD Garden showed Smart on the jumbotron, and the crowd went nuts. His impact on the Celtics organization and City of Boston will live in fans’ hearts for a long, long time.
And late in the fourth quarter, once the game was all but wrapped up, ‘We Want Marcus’ chants even rang throughout TD Garden.
Not sure what exactly happened here, but this was a wild scene with “We Want Marcus” chants raining in the background https://t.co/A2FziBwiI8 pic.twitter.com/TvWq4zdFae
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) April 6, 2025
2. Playmaker Jaylen Brown
With Tatum and Porzingis sidelined, Jaylen Brown was left to run the offense. And in the first half, that meant acting as a playmaker. Dime after dime, he found a way to organize the offense.
Even when Brown wasn’t credited with the assist, Brown’s passing instincts helped set Boston up for quality looks. His ability to drive into the paint, draw multiple defenders, and initiate ball movement was crucial for the Celtics in this one.
"I think it shows how competitive those guys are," Joe Mazzulla said post-game of Brown's playmaking improvements. "As you're in the league for a long time, you have to find ways to improve. You have to find ways to adjust your game, add new things, and it comes with an open mind, and it comes with a work ethic and channel, and Jaylen is at the top of the list of that mentality of just always finding another way to get better.
"And I think every year, even if you have the same players, you have a new team, and guys are going to have to do different things in order for us to be great, and that's a part of it for him. And I think his playmaking has been big for us."
On top of that, Brown continued his quest to make life difficult for the opposing guards in this one. Whenever they got the chance, the Celtics tried to get Brown switched onto smaller defenders in the post, and it almost always resulted in a bucket, great ball movement, or, most commonly, a foul.
Brown finished the night with five assists, all of which came in the first half (including four in the first quarter alone).
3. Scorer Jaylen Brown
This game was a true tale of the two sides of Brown, as while he played passer in the first half, he transitioned into a score-first guy in the third quarter, helping Boston push its lead forward.
A string of four buckets in the first half of the third quarter highlighted Brown’s scoring efforts. And almost every time, Brown scored by utilizing the style of offense that he’s adapted to due to his knee injury.
“It's just learning to make adjustments,” Brown said after the Celtics’ win over the Phoenix Suns on Friday night. “I've probably relied on my athleticism a lot this season, but using more of my skill, playing a little bit slower, which can sometimes be a good thing.”
Brown stayed true to his word in the third quarter against Washington. He used a slow, methodical pace to find his spots on the floor, create space, and rise up for mid-range and three-point buckets.
The Celtics star finished the game with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 shooting from deep, including a 10-point third quarter.
4. Baylor Scheierman fourth-quarter stint
To open up the final frame, Baylor Scheierman looked great. He nailed a pair of triples and threw a nifty behind-the-back pass to Jrue Holiday in transition.
But shortly after, he tried to thread the needle and find Sam Hauser on a cut. Washington picked off the pass, and when Scheierman tried to draw a charge in transition, he picked up a blocking foul.
Joe Mazzulla was not pleased after his pass attempt to Hauser.
He called Scheierman over, his palms facing the sky, and seemingly questioned his decision to throw the pass. It was an interesting coaching moment for the rookie.
Scheierman had an okay finish to the game, hustling for a couple of rebounds (but also turning the ball over). As is the case with most rookies, Scheierman is still a work in progress. But he’s a promising work in progress.
The rookie finished the game with six points, four rebounds, and two assists in 21:00 of action.
5. Sam Hauser diversifying his game
Despite his red-hot night from beyond the three-point arc, Sam Hauser also got to show some flashes of his improved work off the dribble.
Throughout the game, Hauser drove against close-outs, either making plays to set up his teammates or nailing a floater in the lane. If he can consistently make those looks work, it will be a great weapon for the Celtics to deploy within their offense.
"I mean, he's just making the right read," Mazzulla said of Hauser's progression driving close-outs. "Obviously, guys don't want him shooting catch-and-shoot threes, so they're going to run into his body and run him off the line, and that creates a two-on-one. And he works tirelessly on that. So, obviously, everyone knows he's a great shooter, but he's not defined by that."
Hauser had 18 points and eight rebounds on 7-of-12 shooting from deep and 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc. For Mazzulla, those boards stood out, too.
" I think one thing that he's drastically improved this year is his rebounding, especially his rebounding out of area," Mazzulla said. "Going to get rebounds, pursuing the glass and pursuing the ball, and that's a really underrated part of his game. He had eight tonight."
6. Luke Kornet is still great
It didn’t matter what the situation was—pick-and-roll spots, making buckets around the rim, dishing out assists to his teammates, or attacking the glass—Luke Kornet was incredible on Sunday night.
He continues to be one of the most impressive stories of the Celtics’ season this year.
One of the more interesting moments of Kornet’s game came early in the third quarter. After a pick-and-roll with Brown, Kornet ran to the paint and sealed off his defender, giving Brown an easy lane to the rim. It was a classic Daniel Theis (or Marcin Gortat) seal.
Kornet finished the game with 13 points, 14 rebounds, and three assists.
7. Celtics swarm defense
For most of the year, the Celtics have played straight-up defense. But in recent games, they’ve started swarming the ball a bit more.
Whether it was Devin Booker or various players in this Wizards game, they have helped off of players they don’t see as shooting threats, choosing to sprint around in rotation and pressure players driving into the paint.
It may simply be something Boston is experimenting with ahead of the playoffs, but it’s certainly a trend to monitor.
8. Jrue Holiday as a connector
In the latter half of the season, Jrue Holiday has begun to try out more and more things on the offensive end. Whether it’s cutting off the ball or working out of the dunker spot, he’s been awesome.
If he can continue to be an offensive threat outside of simply standing behind the three-point line, it will benefit the Celtics greatly.
9. Payton Pritchard’s 6MOTY campaign continued
The probable Sixth Man of the Year continued his incredible campaign on Sunday night. He filled up the box score, draining threes, dishing out assists, and doing work on the glass.
Holiday ended the night with 13 points, seven rebounds, and five assists while shooting 5-of-13 from the floor and 3-of-5 from distance.
10. Tap-out rebounds
Boston did an incredible job of dominating the offensive glass in this game. Anytime they had the chance, they were crashing for rebounds, with guys like Kornet, Torrey Craig, and Al Horford leading the charge.
The tap-out rebound continues to be an elite tool for this team, too, led by Kornet. He’s so much taller than everyone else that all he has to do it tap the ball out to the perimeter, where his teammates are almost always waiting to receive it.
Boston ended the game with 62 total rebounds, including 25 on the offensive end. Their 25 offensive rebounds are tied for the most they've tallied in a game since 2000.