Wizards All-Star guard John Wall to have left knee surgery

By HOWARD FENDRICH
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Washington Wizards point guard John Wall will have arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Wednesday and could miss much of the rest of the regular season.

The Wizards announced Tuesday that Wall would have the operation in Cleveland and that a timeline for his return would be determined afterward.

A person with direct knowledge of the injury said Wall could miss six to eight weeks. That person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team did not release any estimate of the length of Wall's absence. Washington's last regular-season game is on April 11.

This is the latest knee problem for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft out of Kentucky. He had surgery on both of his knees before last season.

In July, Wall agreed to a $170 million, four-year contract extension that starts with next season.

He was selected last week to participate in his fifth NBA All-Star game but now is expected to miss that event in Los Angeles next month.

Wall is second on the Wizards in scoring this season, averaging 19.4 points, and is second in the league with 9.3 assists per game. The timing of the surgery gives Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld a chance to find a new point guard before the NBA trading deadline, which is Feb. 8.

The Washington Post first reported that Wall would be having a procedure on his knee.

He sat out Washington's most recent game, at the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, because of a recurrence of soreness and swelling in his left knee. Earlier issues with the knee led him to sit out nine games in November and December, and he got platelet-rich plasma injections to try to cut down on the inflammation.

The Wizards entered Tuesday, when they were scheduled to host Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder at night, tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 27-22 record.

Led by its backcourt of Wall and Bradley Beal, a first-time All-Star pick this season, Washington lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals each of the past two years.

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AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed to this report.

Rubio, Jazz drop turnover-plagued Wizards 107-104

By BENJAMIN STANDIG
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Washington Wizards had every reason to take the Jazz seriously after they were routed by 47 points in Utah last month.

Nonetheless, their uneven play against inferior opponents continued.

Ricky Rubio scored 21 points, Donovan Mitchell had 16 and the short-handed Jazz completed a season sweep of the Wizards with a 107-104 win on Wednesday night.

Ekpe Udoh scored 16 points and Joe Johnson had 16 off the bench for the Jazz, who had lost 13 of 16 in between meetings with Washington. The Wizards (23-18), who were embarrassed 116-69 in Utah on Dec. 4, fell to 11-10 against teams with losing records.

"That is something you never stop thinking about as a competitor," Washington forward Kelly Oubre Jr. said of the previous drubbing, "and that's why it hurts even more to lose this one."

Utah played without two starters, and second-leading scorer Rodney Hood was ejected in the second half.

"We had a great effort from a lot of guys and I think at the end there's just a determination," Jazz coach Quin Snyder. "We were fortunate that a few shots missed and we made a couple big ones when we needed to. I thought we made some of our own luck tonight."

Washington did not have John Wall in the first meeting with Utah. The four-time All-Star had 35 points and 11 assists but committed eight of the Wizards' season-high-matching 23 turnovers.

Bradley Beal had 23 points, but lost the ball with 2.9 seconds remaining while attempting a game-tying 3-pointer.

"You're not going to win a game if you turn it over that many times," Beal said.

Washington shot 8-for-22 in the fourth quarter.

"We know on offense you can make or miss shots but on defense you've got to make stops at the end," Rubio said, "and I think we did it tonight and that's why we got the win."

The Wizards shot 52.6 percent from the field but lost their second straight after winning their previous four. Utah (17-24) got just its fourth road win of the season.

Washington trailed by 10 early in the fourth quarter before Wall hit a pair of 3-pointers during an 11-3 surge that gave the Wizards a one-point lead.

Joe Ingles responded with a 3-pointer that put Utah ahead 104-102 with 1:09 remaining. Washington's defense erred with an ill-advised double-team on Mitchell's penetration.

"It was good in the first half, (but) in that third quarter, and then the last two minutes we made so many mistakes. ... It cannot happen," Wizards coach Scott Brooks said.

Washington led most of the first half and 50-46 at halftime, but Utah seized momentum with a 16-3 run in the third quarter, during which Hood received his second technical foul. Rubio's jumper after one of the Wizards' nine turnovers in the quarter put the Jazz up 83-75.

TIP-INS

Jazz: Utah outscored Washington 37-27 in the third, and Udoh scored 10 points in the period. . Ingles had 10 points. ... Already without C Rudy Gobert, Utah played without F/C Derrick Favors (right ankle sprain).

Wizards: F Otto Porter (hip, back) had 14 points after missing Saturday's game against Milwaukee. Oubre had 12 points. ... The team handed out All-Star Game promotional boxes with images of Wall and Beal on the front. Items inside included M&Ms with pictures of each guard and "(hash)NBAvote" on the back. ... F Devin Robinson, Washington's lone two-way contract player, joined the Wizards for the first time this season.

FLIP PHONE

Walking off the court following his ejection with 2:21 remaining in the third, Hood smacked a phone out of the hands of a fan in the stands. The Jazz responded with a 9-0 run.

FOURTH QUARTER FLOP

Beal's run of poor shooting late in games continued. Washington's leading scorer missed 6 of 7 shots in the final period after going 0-for-8 in his previous two fourth quarters.

UP NEXT

Jazz: Close their four-game trip at Charlotte on Friday night.

Wizards: Continue their homestand Friday against Orlando.

Beal's 25 points carries Wizards by Celtics 111-103

By KEN POWTAK
Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) -- Washington's talented guards made themselves at home at Boston's Christmas party.

Bradley Beal scored 25 points, John Wall had 21 points and 14 assists, and the Wizards beat Boston 111-103 on Monday in the Celtics' first Christmas Day home game in franchise history.

"For us to get a win, that was big time," Wall said. "Playing against a great team, one of the hottest teams in the league. They've been in a slump lately, but it's a team that we know we might have to battle later on, and to get a win it was great."

Otto Porter Jr. added 20 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. finished with 16, helping Washington take the first meeting between the teams since Boston's Game 7 victory at home in the second round of the playoffs last spring.

"I felt a little nostalgic out there," Oubre said. "It brought me back to the playoffs and all the good memories that we have in here. The fans chanting crazy stuff, it just brought me back to a place where you know it got me locked in man, like it was the playoffs, so it was a great atmosphere out there."

Boston lost for the third time in four games. Kyrie Irving and Jayson Tatum each scored 20 points for the Celtics, and Terry Rozier had 16.

The Celtics are 11-8 since opening the season 16-2.

"It hasn't been one of the best stretches for us, but we have a resilient group," Irving said. "That right there is enough for us to go on and make progress in the right direction."

Boston forward Al Horford thinks it's just a normal course of a season.

"You go through ups and downs in a season," he said. "Tonight, I felt good about our chances. We put ourselves in position to win the game and we weren't able to do it."

Boston opened a 95-90 lead on Irving's 3-pointer with 6:18 left, but the Wizards responded with a 12-0 run. Beal capped the spurt with a three-point play and a breakaway dunk off a turnover.

Wall added a layup and two free throws down the stretch to help Washington hold on

Last season, the teams had a testy rivalry with lots of trash-talking and a few games filled with hard fouls. It was more civil on Monday, just a tight defensive game with numerous contested shots and a few hard screens.

The Wizards led by two at halftime and opened the third quarter by scoring 13 of the first 17 points, pulling ahead 65-54 on Marcin Gortat's three-point play. Gortat had 11 points and 10 rebounds.

TIP-INS

Wizards: It was Gortat's ninth double-double this season. ... Wall was scoreless in the opening quarter.

Celtics: F Marcus Morris returned after missing 10 of the last 11 games with a sore left knee. ... Reserve F Semi Ojeleye missed the game with a sore back after he tested it during pregame warmups. . Jaylen Brown left the arena with one crutch and appeared to favoring his left leg.

FIRST NOEL

The Celtics played for the 31st time on Christmas, with 28 of the previous games on the road and the other two at neutral sites before Monday.

"As much fun as it is to be with family, this is what our family does," Boston coach Brad Stevens said. "We've been in gyms for most Christmases of our lives, so it's really fun to get a chance to compete on Christmas Day."

GRONK SIGHTING

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was seated courtside wearing a Santa hat. He got a huge ovation when he was shown on the videoboard.

FAMILY TIME

Morris brothers Marcus (Boston) and Markieff (Wizards) were matched up against each other a few times. At one point, it looked as if they were both smiling when Marcus missed a jumper over his brother.

WARM WELCOMING

Injured forward Gordon Hayward walked out to center court before the game and wished the fans a merry Christmas and happy holidays on behalf of the Celtics' organization.

UP NEXT

Wizards: At the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.

Celtics: At the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday. Boston won the previous game between the teams on Nov. 10 at home.

Wall returns as Wizards defeat Grizzlies

WASHINGTON -- The return of John Wall did not immediately turn the Washington Wizards aesthetically, but they had enough to defeat the struggling Memphis Grizzlies.

Bradley Beal scored 18 points and John Wall had 13 in his return from a left knee injury as the Washington Wizards fended off the Memphis Grizzlies 93-87 on Wednesday.

Wall sat out the previous nine games after receiving injections in his knee Nov. 25 to deal with inflammation. Washington (15-13) went 4-5 without the four-time All-Star. The Wizards returned home from a 2-3 road trip.

Memphis (8-20) has dropped five in a row and 16 of 17, yet stayed with Washington until the final stages.

Wall started and played 28 minutes. His most significant stretch came during the second quarter after Washington squandered most of a 10-point lead. After JaMychal Green's 3-pointer pulled Memphis within two, Wall outscored the Grizzlies 9-0 for a 38-27 lead with 1:59 remaining before halftime.

He showed plenty of agility with a throw down dunk and by blocking a Chandler Parsons dunk attempt late in the fourth quarter.

"I think it was cool other than my four missed free throws," Wall said. "Most important thing is we got the win."

Andrew Harrison scored 20 points for the Grizzles, who shot 38.3 percent from the field and had a season-low 29 points in the first half. Green had 15 points and 15 rebounds, and Marc Gasol added 15 points and 10 boards.

Second-leading scorer Tyreke Evans sat out with right hip soreness.

The Wizards led 50-33 on Porter's 3-pointer with 7:59 remaining in the third quarter but didn't finish the period strong. The Grizzlies entered the fourth down 60-57 and took their first lead at 67-65 on a James Ennis 3-pointer.

Washington countered with a 13-0 run. Beal, who averaged 34.5 points over the previous four games, sank two 3-pointers in this stretch.

Memphis proved resilient and fought back to 83-80 on Gasol's jumper with 2:34 remaining but would get no closer. Beal and Kelly Oubre Jr. sank back-to-back 3-pointers for Washington.

"When you're down at that point, you've got to play perfect," Grizzlies interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "And those 3s especially, they hurt you."

Otto Porter had 14 points, Marcin Gortat 12 and Oubre added 11 for the Wizards. Mike Scott started in place of Markieff Morris (right hip soreness) and scored 10 points.

"It didn't look good because we missed some shots, played a little slow for whatever reason, long trip coming back," Wizards coach Scott Brooks following his team's latest suspect outing against a suspect opponent. "I like the fact that we came out and got the win. We played better than the score, I thought. ... Good win for us. Now focus on the next game."

Washington finished 12 of 24 from the free throw line. Memphis hit 15 of 16, helping to offset shooting 38.3 percent from the field.

The Grizzlies committed 12 of their 18 turnovers in the first half and misfired throughout. They shot 5 of 21 from the floor in the first quarter. They also played effectively at times in the second half, but not enough to end the current slide.

"You want to get out of a situation that obviously nobody likes, the only way to do it is by out-hustling the other team, out-working them," Gasol said. "Obviously we're not going to out-talent the other team so we have to be overwhelming defensively and trust each other defensively because that's going to bring trust on the other end."

The Wizards were just glad to end their stretch of games played without Wall.

"He's our leader (and) he's the head to our snake. For him coming back and getting his feet wet and getting back acclimated to our game and our style of play was big for us," Oubre said. "Hopefully, we can keep this rolling."

NOTES: Washington F Markieff Morris played less than 20 minutes and sat out the fourth quarter in each of the previous two games. ... Wizards C Ian Mahinmi (sore right knee) sat out for a second consecutive game. ... Memphis fell to 1-15 without injured G Mike Conley Jr. and 0-10 against Eastern Conference opponents. ... The Wizards host the Clippers on Friday, six days after losing 113-112 in Los Angeles despite leading by four points with 51 seconds remaining. Lou Williams sank the go-ahead 3-pointer for the Clippers with 1.2 seconds left. ... Memphis opens a two-game homestand Thursday against the Atlanta Hawks. ... The sides close out the season series Jan. 5 in Memphis.

Wizards rebound impressively behind Beal's 51

PORTLAND, Ore. -- After the Wizards took a 47-point whipping at Utah on Monday night, Washington coach Scott Brooks was watching to see how his players would respond Tuesday night at Moda Center.

Brooks loved what he saw in the Wizards' 106-92 win over the Portland Trail Blazers -- especially from guard Bradley Beal.

With backcourt mate John Wall sidelined for the sixth straight game due to a knee injury, Beal bombed in a career-high 51 points to carry the Wizards to victory.

"It was a great bounce-back game for all of our guys, but in particular, for Brad," Brooks said. "He was feeling good, and I was keeping him in there."

Beal, who came in averaging 22.1 points, scored only 11 points on 4-for-15 shooting against the Jazz. He had averaged 12.5 points in his previous four games.

Against Portland, the 6-foot-5 sixth-year pro scored 32 of his points in the second half. Beal had 12 points in the first quarter, seven in the second, 19 in the third and 13 in the fourth.

"I thought I was going to have a good game," said Beal, who finished 21 of 37 from the field, including 5 of 12 from 3-point range, in 43 minutes. "That was my mentality coming into it. I was more locked in, more focused. In the previous games, I was thinking way too much out there instead of playing my game.

"Tonight, I put everything on the table, regardless of whether I made or missed shots. I was going to be a better leader, have good body language and do whatever it took to get a win."

Beal scored more points in Portland than any Blazers opponent in the franchise's 47-year history. The previous record of 49 points was shared by Atlanta's Lou Hudson (1970) and Milwaukee's Lew Alcindor (1972).

"It's an honor," Beal said. "I have a long way to go before I'm even considered in that category. To hold that record in this building, that speaks volumes, with all the guys who have come through here and done miraculous things. I'm proud of it, but I'm more proud of the win we got tonight."

Did Beal dig deeper to provide offense in the absence of Wall?

"Yes and no," he said. "I trust my teammates to make plays. It's always next man up no matter who is on the floor. Tim (Frazier) and Tomas (Satoransky) do a great job of running the team. I did put a little bit more pressure on myself to carry a heavier load, but I have excellent guys around me who can make plays."

Damian Lillard collected 30 points, eight rebounds and nine assists for the Trail Blazers, who lost their third straight game -- all at home. Portland's Al-Farouq Aminu scored 17 points, and Jusuf Nurkic added 15 points and nine rebounds before leaving with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter.

Beal scored 12 of Washington's first 18 points as the Wizards seized a 24-22 lead after one quarter.

Washington (13-11) started the second quarter on a 7-0 run to go ahead 31-22. The Wizards scored the final seven points of the quarter to go into the half leading 51-37 over the Blazers, who shot 34.2 percent and had 13 turnovers before the break.

Washington started the third quarter with a 10-1 spurt to increase the advantage to 61-38. The Blazers responded with a 15-2 run to draw to within 63-53, but the Wizards came back with a 9-0 tear to go up 72-53.

The difference was 79-66 heading into the final period.

The Wizards extended their lead to 97-76 on Satoransky's 3-pointer with five minutes left. Portland (13-11) scored the game's next 11 points to close within 97-87 with 1:53 to go. Satoransky ended the Wizards' drought with a runner with 1:37 remaining, and Beal's 3-pointer with 1:10 left sealed the verdict.

Lillard traces Portland's problems back to a road trip before its current homestand, even though the Blazers won four of the five games away from home.

"We didn't play great, but we found ways to win games," he said. "We came back home and haven't played well offensively or consistent defensively. Every year at some point, adversity is going to hit. I feel this is the start of a little bit of adversity. I'm not overly concerned this early in the year, but we're just not playing well."

NOTES: Wizards G Bradley Beal scored 51 points; his teammates totaled 55. Only two other Washington players scored in double figures, both reserves -- Kelly Oubre Jr. with 14 and Mike Scott with 10 on 5-of-5 shooting. ... Beal's previous career scoring high was 42 points. ... Portland G Damian Lillard has made 163 free throws, second most in the NBA behind Houston's James Harden (174). ... Washington shot 47.2 percent from the floor to Portland's 41 percent.

Jazz destroy Wizards by 47

SALT LAKE CITY -- Disaster seemed to be hovering on the horizon for the Utah Jazz when Rudy Gobert went down with a knee injury in early November.

Gobert, one of the NBA's elite defensive players, anchors a Jazz defense that was porous whenever he was off the floor. Things changed while he was gone.

When the center returned to action in a 116-69 win over the Washington Wizards on Monday night, he got to see how much his teammates grew on defense without him.

The Wizards matched the lowest point total for any NBA team this season. They shot just 23 of 80 (28.8 percent) from the floor against the Jazz.

"I feel like it brought us together as a team," Gobert said of his injury that led to an 11-game absence. "Guys are ready to take defense more personally, and I feel like everyone got better defensively. Now that I'm back, we get to that level even better than we've ever been."

Alec Burks scored 27 points to spearhead a balanced offensive effort from the Utah. Donovan Mitchell added 21 points. Gobert finished with 10 rebounds, four points and two blocks in 21 minutes.

Utah (13-11) won its sixth straight game overall and fifth consecutive home contest. The Jazz shot 16 of 34 (47.1 percent) from the perimeter.

"We were a step behind in just about everything," Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. "They were running their offense and we were playing chase. When you do that, you're at their mercy."

Otto Porter Jr. scored 14 points while Bradley Beal, Markieff Morris and Kelly Oubre Jr. added 11 apiece for Washington. The Wizards (12-11) lost for the sixth time in nine games, struggling to generate any consistent offense and getting dominated on the glass.

Washington got dominated around the basket on both ends of the court. The Jazz outrebounded the Wizards 52-31 and had a 50-24 advantage in points in the paint.

"It was embarrassing, that's probably the best way to put it," Beal said. "There's no point in really getting down about it because we plainly got our (butt) kicked today."

Making sweet music on offense came easy for the Jazz before halftime. Utah matched its season high with 64 first-half points. The Jazz shot 25 of 44 (56.8 percent) from the field before the break, 43 of 76 (56.6 percent) overall.

Mitchell set the tone with a melody of crisp passes and excellent shooting in the first quarter. The rookie scored baskets on all four of his field-goal attempts in the period. His final one came on a pull-up jumper that gave Utah a 19-13 lead.

The play opened the door for a 33-6 Jazz run that put the game out of reach. Utah took its first double-digit lead at 26-15 on a layup from Thabo Sefolosha and a cutting dunk from Derrick Favors on back-to-back possessions. The Jazz kept surging ahead on a combination of layups and 3-pointers.

Utah took a 20-point lead at 37-17 on back-to-back 3-pointers from Sefolosha and Raul Neto. Gobert scored a put-back layup and Jonas Jerebko drilled a 3-pointer to finally finish off the run and put the Jazz ahead 52-21 with 5:55 left before halftime.

"We caught them on a tough shooting night, which makes it hard," Utah coach Quin Snyder said. "We were fortunate in that respect. I think we really came out with the right mindset defensively. When we do that, the offense is just easier and the ball moved."

The Wizards endured a major cold spell to facilitate Utah's decisive run. They missed 16 of 17 shots over an eight-minute stretch spanning the first and second quarter. Porter was the only Washington player who made more than two field-goal attempts in the first half.

Washington only led twice in the game, both within the first three minutes of the first quarter. Tim Frazier gave the Wizards their final lead when he drained a pull-up 3-pointer to make it 7-6.

NOTES: Utah had 29 assists on 43 baskets while holding Washington to 23 total field goals. ... Wizards G Bradley Beal is averaging 10.5 points on 30.8 percent shooting over his past two games after averaging 24.7 points per game through the month of November. ... Jazz G Alec Burks is averaging 26.3 points on 63.8 percent shooting over his past three games. ... Wizards C Marcin Gortat logged his 105th straight start. It is the third-longest active streak in the NBA.

Beal scores 23 as Wizards beat Bucks 99-88

By ANDREW GRUMAN
Associated Press

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Despite playing on back-to-back days for the first time this season and having two starters banged up, the Washington Wizards were better in the second half than their rested opponent Monday night.

Bradley Beal scored 23 points, John Wall returned from a one-game absence and the Wizards pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 99-88 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

“Defensively, we locked into the game plan,” Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. “We were aggressive, we were physical. We played with an IQ. We made them take the shots that we wanted them to take.”

Beal helped the Wizards separate from the Bucks with a personal 7-0 run late in the third quarter. Washington then outscored Milwaukee 13-4 to start the fourth, building an 86-70 advantage.

The win snapped a two-game skid for the Wizards, who lost 100-91 to Toronto on Sunday with Wall out of the lineup.

Milwaukee has lost two consecutive games to fall back to .500 at 8-8 after rattling off a four-game winning streak following the trade for Eric Bledsoe.

The Bucks had scored at least 90 points in 13 of their first 14 games but managed just 79 in a loss to Dallas on Sunday and 88 against the Wizards. Both opponents were playing on the second day of a back-to-back while the Bucks were rested.

“We know that we’re a better team than how we’ve played,” said acting head coach Joe Prunty, who filled in for Jason Kidd.

Kelly Oubre Jr. added 18 points off the bench for the Wizards, and Wall scored 15 after missing a game with knee pain. Otto Porter Jr. had 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Marcin Gortat finished with 10 points with 15 rebounds.

Washington led 27-19 after the first quarter, but Milwaukee used a 10-0 run capped by Giannis Antetokounmpo blocking a shot attempt by Wall and finishing on the other end to take 41-39 lead with 3:07 left in the half.

After trailing 47-46 at halftime, the Bucks led 55-50 before the Wizards scored eight straight points to take the lead back for good.

Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 23 points but was 8 for 21 from the field.

“(Giannis) is playing like an MVP,” Brooks said. “Hard player to stop. You try different guys on him so that he doesn’t get a consistent feel with the same player.”

The Bucks went just 4 of 22 from beyond the arc and missed 20 shots in the paint.

TIP-INS

Wizards: Beal became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 700 made 3-pointers. ... Washington held a 46-33 rebounding advantage and outscored Milwaukee 15-2 on second-chance points.

Bucks: Matthew Dellavedova (left knee tendinitis) and Mirza Teletovic (left knee soreness) each missed a third straight game due to injury. ... Bucks guard Gary Payton II made his third appearance of the season. On a two-way contract, Payton scored a career-high eight points in 15 minutes.

KIDD AWAY FROM TEAM

Kidd missed the game following the birth of his daughter. Kidd’s wife, Porschla, gave birth to Cooper Anne Kidd on Sunday.

PLAYING THROUGH PAIN

Wall returned to the starting lineup after missing Sunday’s loss to Toronto with a sore left knee. Porter was in the starting lineup after an MRI on his right hand came back negative.

“When I first went out there and shot today, it was perfectly fine,” Wall said. “If you saw me warming up the last couple games, you could tell that we had to take time to warm up.

“I was great. I was cool. I missed some easy early shots, but other than that I was fine.”

UP NEXT

Wizards: Washington plays at Charlotte on Wednesday. The Wizards took three of four from the Hornets last season.

Bucks: Milwaukee will travel to Phoenix to face the Suns on Wednesday. The Bucks and Suns made a big trade on Nov. 7, when Bledsoe went to Milwaukee in exchange for Greg Monroe and two draft picks.

Wall, Wizards lead early and roll past Kings 110-83

By MICHAEL WAGAMAN
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Two consecutive fourth-quarter meltdowns put the Wizards in a hole on their current road trip. It also set the stage for Washington’s most lopsided win of the season.

A defense that forced 20 turnovers and an offense that set a season high with 17 3-pointers helped, too.

John Wall scored 11 of his 19 points in the first quarter and had nine assists, Otto Porter Jr. had 16 points and the Wizards beat the Sacramento Kings 110-83 on Sunday.

“It was probably the best that we’ve played on both ends of the court,” Washington coach Scott Brooks said. “Hopefully we can continue that trend.”

The 27-point victory kept the Wizards out of the record books. Washington’s first five games were decided by five points or fewer; no team had ever opened the season with six.

Wall made it a moot point early by making his first four shots, including three 3-pointers, as Washington jumped to a 13-0 lead that was never threatened.

“I haven’t been shooting the ball well so far this season,” Wall said. “If I make shots, teams are willing to live with that instead of letting me get into the paint and get to the basket. If I’m able to knock down shots on a consistent basis it makes our team a lot better and it makes us tougher to guard.”

Bradley Beal added 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting for Washington after being fined $50,000 by the NBA earlier in the day for his role in a fight with Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors on Friday.

The Wizards were up 63-32 at halftime, had a 36-point advantage early in the third quarter and prevented the Kings from getting closer than 27 the rest of the way.

Mike Scott added 13 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. had nine points and seven rebounds to help Washington snap a two-game losing streak.

Beal was surprised to be playing at all. The veteran guard expected to be suspended after the fight with Green late in the first half of Friday’s 120-117 loss to the Warriors. Beal and Green received technical fouls and were ejected from the game.

“I was really happy I wasn’t suspended,” Beal said. “I knew I was going to get fined one way or the other. It is what it is. Now I can put this behind me.”

While Beal played, Washington was without forward Markieff Morris and guard Carrick Felix. Both received one-game suspensions for coming off the bench during the fight.

Not that it mattered.

The Kings shot 27.9 percent in the first half and trailed by double digits for the final 43 minutes.

“Once they got on us, our young guys got a little frantic and then the wheels kind of came off,” Kings coach Dave Joerger said.

Brian Bogdanovic scored 15 while Kosta Koufos added seven points and 10 rebounds for Sacramento.

ALL THOSE 3s

Of the 85 shots attempted by Washington, 34 came from beyond the arc. That accounted for 40 percent of the Wizards’ shooting. The 17 made 3-pointers were one shy of the franchise record. “We were aggressive off the dribble and they did a good job of closing in their defense,” Beal said. “Then we take full advantage of making the extra pass and getting guys shots.”

TIP-INS

Wizards: Washington’s 35 points in the opening 12 minutes were their most in any quarter this season. ... The day off probably benefited Morris, who is still on the mend from sports hernia surgery. The Wizards’ bench combined for 45 points.

Kings: Sacramento missed its first nine shots and 13 of 16 to begin the game. ... Zach Randolph and George Hill were given the day off by Joerger.

UP NEXT

Wizards: Host Phoenix on Wednesday night.

Kings: Travel to play the Pacers on Tuesday night. Sacramento hasn’t won in Indiana since Dec. 23, 2015.

Caldwell-Pope hits 3, Lakers beat Wizards 102-99 in OT

By DAN GREENSPAN
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — There will be times when defense is a problem for the young Los Angeles Lakers. Not on this night as they earned their first home win of the season.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit a 3-pointer with 58 seconds remaining and the Lakers handed the Washington Wizards their first loss, 102-99 in overtime Wednesday.

Wizards guard John Wall was stuffed by Julius Randle driving to the basket with less than 15 seconds left. After officials initially ruled the ball hit Randle last, a video review gave the Lakers possession, and they broke through pressure to set up a dunk by Randle.

Wall missed an off-balance 3 while being defended by Lonzo Ball as time expired.

The Lakers forced the Wizards to miss their first seven shots and then their final three.

“You have a chance to win if you can play defense,” coach Luke Walton said. “That’s kind of the message that we have been trying to deliver, so it was good to have them actually experience that for themselves in a game.”

Brandon Ingram scored 19 points for the Lakers, who dropped their first two home games. Ball had six points, eight rebounds and 10 assists in an anticipated matchup against Wall. Larry Nance Jr. added 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Caldwell-Pope scored 14.

Bradley Beal had 28 points for the Wizards, who were looking to match their best start since the 1978-79 season by winning four in a row.

Wall finished with 18 points and nine rebounds. Washington shot 41.1 percent from the field (39 of 95) and 6 of 26 on 3-pointers.

Beal made one of two free throws with 12.8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, giving the Lakers a chance to send it to overtime when Ingram tipped in his own miss with 0.7 seconds left. Beal missed a corner 3-pointer as time expired in regulation.

The Wizards scored six straight points after Ingram tied it at 85 with 3:26 remaining, but the Lakers responded with Ingram’s jumper and a 3-pointer by Randle.

“Fourth quarter, we did too much standing around,” Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. “We had more dribbles than passes and it wasn’t good basketball. Give them credit. They outplayed us down the stretch and they deserved the win tonight.”

TIP-INS

Wizards: Wall and Beal combined to attempt 10 free throws after going to the stripe at least 18 times in each of their first three games. . Jason Smith had two points and two rebounds in his first action since missing two games with a sprained right shoulder.

Lakers: Nance had six points and six rebounds in the first six minutes. ... The Lakers had lost five straight home games against the Wizards.

FEISTY FINISH

The showdown between Wall and Ball largely fizzled, especially in the first half after the rookie picked up two fouls in the first quarter.

But there was some aggression between Ingram and Wizards forward Kelly Oubre Jr. Walton thought it sparked the strong finish for Igram, who had 15 points in the second half.

“Early he seemed to be a little flustered,” Walton said. “I thought when they kind of started jawing a little bit it, for whatever reason, got Brandon to another level, and he turned a mediocre game into one where he was grabbing defensive rebounds, calling plays out in a half-court set. Not always the right play, but, hey, steps.”

STAR POWER

Even with the Dodgers playing Game 2 of the World Series at the same time, Rams running back Todd Gurley and boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. were at Staples Center.

Lakers president of basketball operations and Dodgers co-owner Earvin “Magic” Johnson left Dodger Stadium early for a halftime on-court interview with ESPN.

UP NEXT

Wizards: Visit the Golden State Warriors on Friday night as they continue a four-game road trip.

Lakers: Host the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.

Beal scores 20 points, Wizards beat Nuggets 109-104

By PAT GRAHAM
Associated Press

DENVER (AP) — Scott Brooks took what basically amounted to a late-game charge.

That’s right, the coach of the Washington Wizards.

Brooks stepped onto the court after a timeout with 32 seconds remaining and was bumped into by Nikola Jokic, who was on his way the bench. Jokic was assessed a technical foul in a strange occurrence that helped the Wizards to a 109-104 win over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night.

Whether it was intentional or accidental by Jokic — or even embellished on the part of the Wizards coach — well, it depends on who’s asked.

“It was an awkward, weird situation. I don’t think (Jokic) did it on purpose, but it happened,” Brooks said. “I’ve never had that happen before.”

Bradley Beal ended up making the technical free throw and the Wizards increased their lead to 105-102. Beal then sealed it with a driving layup.

After the game, Jokic said he was upset about being pushed from behind just before the timeout and was just making his way back to the Nuggets side.

“I tried to look at the score and hit ... the coach,” Jokic said. “I’m sorry because I put my team in a bad position.”

Jokic’s coach had his back.

“I just watched it 10 times. Nikola said he didn’t do it intentional,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “Nikola is walking off the court. Scott Brooks is walking on the court. There’s contact made. It was embellished a little, to be honest, I think.

“I don’t think it was intentional, either. Scott Brooks is a very good coach and a good guy. Things happen in the heat of the moment you can’t always explain.”

In an interview with a pool reporter, crew chief Derrick Stafford said the officials assessed a technical because Jokic, “intentionally walked into Scotty Brooks on his way to the bench.”

Beal scored 20 points as all five Washington starters reached double figures. John Wall finished with 19 points as he struggled from the floor (3 of 13) but made up for it on the free throw line (13 of 15). He added 12 assists as the Wizards improved to 3-0.

Otto Porter Jr. had 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Jokic broke out of a scoring slump with 29 points. His running layup early in the first quarter ended a string of six straight quarters without a point.

“I scored and we lost. Maybe it’s better for me to not score,” Jokic said.

TIP-INS

Wizards: F/C Jason Smith missed the game in his home state with a sprained right shoulder. Smith grew up in nearby Kersey and went to school at Colorado State. “He’s been wanting to play well and hit 17 3s against them, but it’s not going to happen tonight,” Brooks said. “He will have to save it for next year.” ... F Markieff Morris missed the game as he recovers from sports hernia surgery. ... Kelly Oubre Jr. had nine of his 14 points in the fourth quarter.

Nuggets: F Juancho Hernangomez was out with an illness. ... F Richard Jefferson dressed but didn’t play. He signed a one-year deal last week. ... F Paul Millsap finished with 17 points. ... The Nuggets have dropped three straight to the Wizards. ... G Emmanuel Mudiay had 15 points off the bench.

TURNOVERS

The Wizards took advantage of 24 turnovers and finished 26 of 28 from the free throw line.

“We showed glimpses of our defense at times,” Wall said. “We’re a long, active team. We can put pressure on teams in the pick-and-roll and trust and help each other. We turn teams over and get more possessions.”

QUOTABLE

“John Wall is in attack mode every minute he’s on the floor. He’s playing downhill, playing north-and-south and getting to the basket. ... We have to show a crowd to him all night long, to take away those driving lanes.” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said of stopping Wall.

UP NEXT

Wizards: At the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday for their second contest on a four-game West Coast swing.

Nuggets: Play in Charlotte on Wednesday against Dwight Howard and the Hornets.

Celtics power past Wizards in Game 7, 115-105

By KYLE HIGHTOWER
AP Sports Writer

BOSTON (AP) -- Isaiah Thomas said he didn't feel any pressure entering the first Game 7 of his career.

His play backed up his confidence and with the help of Kelly Olynyk and the Boston Celtics bench, Thomas earned the biggest win of his career.

Thomas scored 29 points and had 12 assists, Olynyk scored a career-playoff high 26 points and the Celtics used a big fourth quarter to outlast the Washington Wizards 115-105 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Monday night.

"I knew it would be a big time game tonight. I knew it wouldn't be easy at all," Thomas said. "And we came out on top."

Led by Olynyk the Celtics got a huge lift from their bench, outscoring their Wizards' counterparts 48-5. Boston also connected on 11 3-pointers, including 8 of 13 in the second half.

"We needed it," Olynyk said. "That's a tough team that we played seven tough games against and they can score. We needed to help out the starters, help out Isaiah."

Boston advances to the Eastern Conference finals, where it will host the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 on Wednesday. It's the Celtics first appearance in the conference finals since 2012.

"What a special opportunity to get a chance to compete against them," Boston coach Brad Stevens said.

For Thomas it serves as the ultimate validation for a team that many felt was unworthy of the conference's top seed. It also marked the latest big performance by Thomas, in a playoff run that began in the haze of his younger sister's death in a car accident. The 28-year-old All-Star has called the basketball court his sanctuary, and he continues to credit his teammates for giving him the strength to perform at a high level.

"That says a lot about the team we are and we believe in each other," Thomas said. "The game wasn't always what we wanted it to be and it wasn't a perfect game. But we kept going and stayed the course."

Bradley Beal led the Wizards - which was playing it its first Game 7 since 1979 - with 38 points, including 24 in the second half.

"I don't care how well I played," Beal said afterward. "I don't care if I played bad. The end result...The only thing that matters is getting a win."

Otto Porter added 20 points. John Wall and Markieff Morris each finished with 18. But Washington also had 15 turnovers, leading to 17 Celtics' points.

Boston trailed 76-72 late in the third quarter before ending the period on a 13-3 spurt . The run grew to 22-5 in the opening minutes of the fourth as the Celtics' lead became 94-81.

But Washington quickly responded, scoring seven straight in just 51 seconds to get back within six.

Washington stayed close as Beal continued to score, including a four-point play . But Olynyk then took over. He scored 11 of 13 points for Boston as the Celtics stretched their advantage to 110-100.

"He just made shots," Marcin Gortat said of Olynyk. "He was the difference today - a huge difference."

Brooks played Beal and Wall 46 and 45 minutes, respectively, but said it was necessary to try to stay in the game.

"I knew it would come down to the last six minutes of the game," Washington coach Scott Brooks said. "They had that little run at the start of the fourth quarter."

The Celtics had the largest lead of the first half at 10-2, but that gap was quickly erased by Washington as Boston started to accumulate fouls.

Marcus Smart, Amir Johnson and Olynyk all were whistled for three fouls in the opening 24 minutes, though Smart did inject some life into a second unit that outscored their Wizards' counterparts 19-5.

Wall and Beal each were beneficiaries scoring eight and nine points, respectively in the second quarter to help the Wizards take a two-point lead into halftime.

"It's tough. We came out here Game 7 and gave everything we had. Just came up short," Wall said. "Our goal was to get to Eastern Conference finals and we came up one game short. So it's a not a satisfied season to me."

TIP-INS

Wizards: Dropped to 6-4 all-time in Game 7s. ... Still have not reached a conference final since 1979. ... Outrebounded the Celtics 43-31.

Celtics: Improved to 22-8 all-time in Game 7s and 19-4 all-time at home. ...Outscored the Wizards 58-40 in the paint. ... Lost season series to Cleveland 3-1.

HOME COURT DOMINANCE

The Wizards came up short of becoming the first team in this matchup to win on the opponent's home floor in 2016-17. All 11 meetings this season (four in regular-season and seven postseason) were claimed by the home team.

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Celtics aim to ride home-court edge vs. Wizards in Game 7

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BOSTON -- Will the banners, the history, save the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals?

Or will the Washington Wizards, who are trying to reach the conference finals for the first time since 1979, come into TD Garden and record the first road win in 11 games this season between two teams that have exchanged all kinds of unpleasantries throughout the year?

The answer will come Monday night, when the series comes down to one game. The winner moves on to oppose the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East finals beginning Wednesday.

"We believe we should be playing against Cleveland, and beat Cleveland and go to the championship," Boston's Avery Bradley said.

Celtics great Bill Russell, arguably the greatest winner in the history of the four major sports, never lost one a winner-take-all game. In fact, he was 10-0 in Game 7s in the NBA and also won two NCAA titles and an Olympic gold medal -- and his banner will be looking down on the Red Auerbach court for this rather important contest.

The Wizards pulled even with a 92-91 victory Friday that was easily the best game of the series. It came down to the final seconds, and the NBA admitted that the Celtics should have had an extra second for a final shot.

"I could take another dribble," said Boston's Isaiah Thomas, who missed a hurried shot just before the buzzer. "I could have gotten past (Markieff) Morris, probably. A little bit, got a little bit more separation. But it is what it is. We can't worry about that. It just sucks that they came out with it and said we should have had another second."

That can't be fixed -- so Boston, aiming for its first conference finals appearance since 2012, will have to win it at home.

This is a week that is fairly important in the current and future history of the Boston franchise. In addition to Game 7 on Monday, the draft lottery in which the Celtics will receive no worse than the fourth pick via the Brooklyn Nets is Tuesday, ahead of what they hope will be Game 1 of the conference finals against the champion Cavaliers.

The Wizards, who won Game 6 after the Celtics showed up at the arena wearing black funeral clothing, have other ideas.

They come in determined to win at TD Garden for the first time since 2014. Washington has endured eight consecutive losses, five this season, on the Celtics' home floor.

The Wizards go as their two guards -- John Wall and Bradley Beal -- go. Wall has overcome some shooting droughts to be outstanding throughout, and he hit the 3-pointer that won Game 6. He is averaging 27.9 points in the playoffs, and Beal is averaging 23.8 points. Both are tough to stop.

"Now those guys are not babies anymore. They're closers," teammate Ian Mahinmi told the Washington Post. "They're proven closers."

Mimicking what the Wizards had done before a regular-season game, the Celtics wore black into the Verizon Center for Game 6, and it may have backfired and helped add fire to the home team. Still, the Wizards were facing elimination and needed a 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds left and the added drama of the final seconds to finish it off and bring it back to Boston.

"Don't come to my city wearing all black talking about it's a funeral," Wall said on ESPN after that game. "We worked too hard for this."

And there's more work to be done by both of these teams. One will advance Monday night, the other will go home and watch.

"Man, I don't believe in pressure," said Thomas, who has ridden an emotional and physical roller coaster while averaging 25.1 points in the playoffs. "I work too hard to be scared of any type of pressure."

Wall's late 3 leads Wiz past Celtics 92-91, forces Game 7

By HOWARD FENDRICH
AP Sports Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) – John Wall stood atop the scorer's table, popping his jersey, yelling and celebrating his 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds left for the go-ahead basket that put his Washington Wizards into a Game 7 against the Boston Celtics.

After Washington's 92-91 victory extended the Eastern Conference semifinal, Wall offered his thoughts on Boston's failure to back up its fashion statement of wearing all black clothing to the arena Friday night.

"It was just funny to me. It was kind of copy-catting what we did," said Wall, whose Wizards donned dark outfits before a regular-season game between these teams that are building a rivalry. "It was in my mind throughout the game that I didn't want them to come here, wear all black, and basically call it a funeral."

Thanks to him and backcourt mate Bradley Beal, Washington's season will last at least one more game. Wall finished with 26 points, Beal scored a game-high 33, and they combined for 23 of Washington's 26 points in the back-and-forth fourth quarter.

"All we asked for was one more game," Wall said, "and we got it."

Game 7 is at Boston on Monday night. The winner will face LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East finals starting Wednesday.

The host has won all 10 games between the Wizards and Celtics this season - four in the regular season and six in the playoffs.

"Two best words in playoffs is `Game 7,'" Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. "Seems like it was meant to be."

Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley each scored 27 points for Boston, the conference's No. 1 seed.

But Bradley could do nothing defensively to stop Wall on the winning shot, coming off an inbound play that was designed to get Beal the ball. And Thomas' heave at the buzzer clanked off the rim.

"I thought it was going in," Thomas said. "Honestly I did."

Like the rest of his teammates, he was left to get back into his dark outfit afterward. Wearing a black shirt, he scoffed at the idea Wall and the Wizards derived some boost from knowing about the Celtics' choice of attire.

"Their season was on the line," he said. "They should have been motivated by everything else."

Boston, which won Game 5 at home by 22 points, led Game 6 by 69-66 entering the fourth quarter, when a relatively blah game became much more compelling. The final period was tight throughout, featuring six ties and nine lead changes.

Boston was up 87-82, but did not hold on.

"We put ourselves in position to win the game," said Al Horford, whose 16-foot baseline bank shot with 7.7 seconds left gave Boston its last lead at 91-89. "Couldn't finish it. ... We can't dwell on this."

Wall and Beal both shook off slow starts.

Beal was 0 for 7 on 3s before making his only one of the game with 69 seconds left. The Wizards as a whole started 1 for 15 from beyond the arc. And Wall started 1 for 12 overall before closing by making 8 of 13.

"If I go 1 for 30," he shrugged, "that's the way I go out."

Not since 1979 have the Wizards reached the conference finals, and Wall has made clear he'll consider this season - Brooks' first as the team's coach - a waste of time if they don't get there this time.

"We don't win Game 7," Wall said, "we feel like it was a failure."

TIP-INS

Celtics: Their 42-41 halftime lead was the visitors' first since edge since 2-0 on Horford's basket. ... Trying to reach the East finals for the first time since 2012.

Wizards: Had lost seven consecutive elimination games at home. ... Last reached the Eastern Conference finals in 1979. ... This was the first win by a home team facing elimination on its court in these NBA playoffs; hosts had been 0-10 in that situation until Friday. ... F Otto Porter Jr. had zero points.

BACK IN BLACK

Some Celtics said it was purely coincidence that they showed up wearing black, the way the Wizards did for what became known as the "Funeral Game," won by Washington in January. Joked Brooks: "I'm going to talk to my lawyers. I think we have that trademarked, right? That's our thing."

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Wizards look to protect home court, force Game 7

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WASHINGTON -- The Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards have played nine times this season, including five games in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

The home team is 9-0.

That bodes well for the Wizards with Game 6 on their court Friday night. It won't matter the location if the Celtics' role players produce as they did in the previous meeting.

Boston leads the best-of-seven series 3-2 following a 123-101 romp over Washington on Wednesday. Avery Bradley scored 25 of his 29 points in the first half and fueled a 16-0 run in the first quarter that gave the Celtics all the breathing room they needed. The margin never dipped below eight over the final 41 minutes.

"The great start got us going on both ends of the floor, and we have to be that type of team," said Bradley, who scored 12 points combined in Games 3 and 4. Washington, which dominated the first quarter for most of the series, won both games at home by average of 23 points.

"We had yet to get a good start this entire series. Tonight we were able to start the right way," Bradley said. "Everyone was prepared, and that is what it's all about. We're a team, and it's going to take a team effort to be able to beat the Washington Wizards."

Isaiah Thomas, Boston's leading scorer in the playoffs, remained the focus of Washington's defense. The Wizards were content to let his teammates beat them. They didn't in Washington's wins, but with the point guard playing more of a distributor role, other Celtics came alive with the series back in Boston. Al Horford had 19 points and seven assists, while Jae Crowder matched Thomas with 18 points.

The Celtics shot 65 percent from the field in the first quarter and 53 percent overall, including 16 of 33 on 3-point attempts.

"As a basketball player, you got to read what the defense is giving you, and they're really having two to three guys on me at all times," said Thomas, who had a game-high nine assists Wednesday.

Part of what worked for Boston involved beating Washington at its own up-tempo game with 15 fastbreak points in the first quarter.

"We were on the floor. We weren't getting back in transition from the corners," Washington coach Scott Brooks lamented. "We didn't have the focus we had to have going into this game. We knew that they were going to come out aggressive, and they did.

"Everyone knows that once you make some easy shots, the next shots become easier. We outplayed them the (in Games 3 and 4), and they outplayed us (in Game 5). Hopefully, we can come back and play a much better game Friday."

The Wizards cruised at home thanks to runs of 22 and 26 consecutive points. They won't need such a dominant surge to force a Game 7, but they will need a better effort than what they delivered Wednesday. Washington shot 38.5 percent from the field and a dismal 7 of 29 from beyond the arc. All-Star guard John Wall had 21 points but a playoff-low four assists.

"I really don't think we relaxed, I think they kinda surprised us," Wall said of the lackluster start. "When we took shots, they started leaking out and getting out. They made adjustments, it must have been something they saw in the film, and they killed us with it in the first quarter. We kinda took their fastbreak point away from there, but guys were already in the rhythm of making shots. When we aren't making shots, we let it affect us defensively."

Kelly Oubre Jr. returned from a one-game suspension following a Flagrant 2 foul in Game 3 to score 13 points off the bench, but Washington's other reserves shot 3 of 16 from the field.

Bradley scores 29, Celtics power past Wizards, 123-101

By KYLE HIGHTOWER
AP Sports Writer
BOSTON (AP) Playing in the Garden has brought out the Boston Celtics' best basketball this postseason.

Wednesday night it was home to one of the best nights of Avery Bradley's career.

Bradley scored a playoff career-high 29 points, and the Celtics beat the Washington Wizards 123-101 to take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

After being thoroughly picked apart in losses at Washington in Games 3 and 4, Boston shared the ball in Game 5, and again resembled the team that entered the game having won seven straight and 11 of 13 in the Garden against Washington.

Al Horford added 19 points, seven assists, and six rebounds. Isaiah Thomas scored 18 points and handed out nine assists.

"We're a team. And it's going to take a team effort to beat the Washington Wizards," Bradley said.

Game 6 is Friday night in Washington, where the Wizards easily won their two games. If the Celtics win, they would move on to host the Cleveland Cavaliers to open the Eastern Conference finals.

Game 7 would be in Boston on Monday.

Boston led by as many as 26 points, negating Washington's physicality by spreading the floor and knocking down 16 3-pointers.

John Wall had 21 for the Wizards, who haven't won a playoff game in Boston since 1982.

The Wizards scored the first four points of game, but that was followed by 16-0 run by the Celtics.

"The great start kind of got us going on both ends of the floor," Bradley said. "Tonight we saw if we're able to start the right way, the game's in our control."

It marked the fourth time in the series that one team has had a run of at least 16-0, including three times in the first quarter. Washington had a 16-0 spurt to start Game 1, a 22-0 run in Game 3 and 26-0 burst in Game 4.

During Boston's first-quarter spurt Wednesday, the Wizards missed eight straight shots before it was ended by Otto Porter's basket.

Boston did a good job of sharing the ball, getting assists on 12 of 13 baskets in the opening 12 minutes. Thomas had five assists, more than Washington's entire team (four) in the period.

The Celtics also outrebounded the Wizards 48-45, after being outrebounded by 26 boards through each of the previous two games (95-69).

"They were the more physical team today," Wall said. "Throughout this whole series, whoever's the most physical team has won every game."

The Wizards responded with more energy after halftime, but each of their mini-runs were quickly beaten back by Boston, which continued to share the ball and take advantage of their fast-break opportunities.

The Celtics' lead grew to 26 points in the fourth quarter.

Thomas said one thing that became apparent in watching film from the Celtics' losses in Games 3 and 4 was that he had to adjust his game with three or four defenders guarding him.

He said he's found maturity to step back and not force plays that he might not have had earlier in his career.

"Now I'm seeing the game differently," Thomas said. "But at the same time, that's not going to stop me from being aggressive and trying to make plays, not just for myself but for my teammates as well."

TIP-INS

Wizards: Fell to 2-9 all-time on the road in the playoffs vs. Celtics. ... Had 13 turnovers, leading to 23 Boston points. ... Shot just 24 percent from the 3-point line (7 of 29).

Celtics: Shot 53 percent (46 of 87) from the field for the game, their highest of the postseason. .. Wednesday marked only the third time Bradley has scored 20 or more points in a playoff game. The first two both came against Chicago in the first round. ... Shot 58 percent from the field (25 of 43) in the first half.

TROLLING OUBRE

Wizards coach Scott Brooks said he warned Kelly Oubre to wear earplugs for Game 5 after he served a one-game suspension for charging over Boston's Kelly Olynyk.

He was right.

Celtics fans chanted "We want Oubre! We want Oubre!" at times during the first quarter. Then, when Oubre started the second quarter for Wizards, it prompted fans in the Garden to chant again. Later they booed him loudly when he touched the ball.

TURNOVER WOES

If the Wizards are going to have a chance to prolong the series, Brooks said they would have to start by limiting turnovers and Boston's 3-pointers.

"They made shots," Brooks said. "We helped them make shots by giving up a lot of transition points. ...They made 16 of 33 3s. I don't know that we contested any of them."

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Wizards aim to halt home success in series vs. Celtics

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BOSTON -- The Washington Wizards and Boston Celtics have different views on recent history as they head into Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series Wednesday night.

The Wizards hope that history changes.

The Celtics hope it stays just the way it is.

The teams have met eight times this season. Eight nasty get-togethers dating all the way back to early in the season. Eight games -- and the home team has won eight games.

The Wizards have to change that if they have designs of meeting the resting Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference finals.

Washington went 19-22 on the road during the regular season and is just 1-4 in the playoffs. But that one win was a 115-99 victory at Atlanta in Game 6 of the first round -- in a game that saw the Wizards blow a big lead before rallying again down the stretch behind John Wall.

"We came here with that focus and determination that we wanted to do the same thing those guys did to us two years ago," Wall said after scoring 19 of his 42 points in the fourth quarter. "Me and Brad (Beal) led the way. We locked in. Our teammates understood what we had (to do). We didn't want to have a Game 7."

The same could be said for the Wizards in this series. A victory Wednesday would allow them to go for the series win back in Washington on Friday.

"We're the better team and we feel like we've been the better team," said Wizards forward Markieff Morris.

The Wizards led the opener 16-0 and lost, but then used runs of 22-0 and 26-0 to win Games 3 and 4 -- Wall overcoming an 0-of-9 start in the latter to lead the way.

"Ah, that's nothing, man. Wall's a great player, man," Morris said of Wall's 0-of-9 start. "He'll start 0 for 20, he's still gonna get into it. He's still gonna have an effect on the game."

The Celtics had a slow start at home this season, but finished 30-11 before losing the first two games to Rajon Rondo and the Chicago Bulls in the first round. They have won three straight at home since, but had to rally from that 0-16 start to win Game 1.

They couldn't rally in D.C.

"We played pretty good in stretches but then two stretches killed us on this trip to D.C.," Boston coach Brad Stevens said after Game 4. "One in the first quarter (in Game 3), one in the third quarter (in Game 4). We have to play better throughout the whole game (in Game 5).

"And, I said it the other night, I just don't want to sit up here and talk about what we're not doing. You have to credit them. They're playing really well. They're a good team, really talented, really athletic, their length is bothering us. We have to do a better job of utilizing spacing to take some of their length out of play."

Said Jae Crowder: "We need to go back home."

The Wizards get Kelly Oubre Jr. back from his one-game suspension for running into Kelly Olynyk. Coach Scott Brooks said Oubre should "bring some ear plugs" to Game 5.

Olynyk, who failed to grab a rebound in 23 minutes in Game 4, has been called "a dirty player" by, of all people, Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors.

"I'm pretty sure some guys might have their opinion on Draymond with some of the plays he's made in the past," Olynyk teammate Avery Bradley said Tuesday.

Bradley is hurting because of a hip pointer but said Tuesday he felt better.

Wizards use 26-0 run to rout Celtics in Game 4, tie series

By STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Sports Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- It wasn't enough for the Washington Wizards to force turnover after another and make baskets every time down the floor to take a lead over the Boston Celtics.

They wanted to blow them out.

The Wizards did just that in a 121-102 rout in Game 5 on Sunday night thanks to a 26-0 third-quarter run that featured big-time contributions from John Wall, Bradley Beal, Markieff Morris and Otto Porter.

That six-minute stretch busted the game open and Washington tied the second-round series at two games apiece. Game 5 is Wednesday night in Boston.

"We're capable of those type of runs every game," said Morris, who finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds. "Keep pressing them, go up 50 if we can. That's the mindset I felt like all of us had."

Washington never led by 50, but after trailing 53-48 early in the third it was 74-53 by the time Porter made a layup with 5 minutes left in the quarter. Wall had seven of his 27 points and three of his 12 assists during the run as the Celtics committed eight turnovers - including back-to-back shot-clock violations - and went 0 for 5.

Coach Scott Brooks called it the Wizards' best stretch this season, crediting defense for making it all happen.

"It is our defense," said Beal, who had a game-high 29 points. "That's why we're able to get out in transition and get open shots, get open layups. We were just having fun."

It wasn't so fun for the Celtics, who couldn't get Isaiah Thomas going after he opened with five consecutive 3-pointers and 17 points in the first 15 minutes and finished with 19. Thomas was mad that referees allowed the Wizards to get away with holding and grabbing him but acknowledged the 26-0 run - not the officiating - decided the game.

From Boston's perspective it wasn't pretty, even as coach Brad Stevens credited the Wizards, who have 26-0, 22-0 and 16-0 runs in this series.

"If you turn the ball over against these guys, you'd prefer to drop kick it into the stands so that at least you can set your defense," Stevens said. "Their attack in transition killed us."

Beal, who was 11 of 16 from the floor, said the conversation at halftime revolved around knowing the defense wasn't up to Washington's standards.

"Were able to force a lot of turnovers," Beal said. "We're one of the best teams in the league at converting off turnovers."

Thanks to 34 points off turnovers, the series is even with the Cleveland Cavaliers waiting in the Eastern Conference final after finishing off a sweep of the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. Being a shot away from splitting in Boston gives the Wizards confidence they can win there.

"We feel like we're in control," Wall said. "We feel like we can win there, we know we can. We've just got to do a better job of taking those leads we get and just playing smart basketball down the stretch."

TICKED OFF THOMAS

Thomas, who missed five of his final six shots, was ticked off that he didn't attempt a single free throw despite taking a lot of contact . He wants more foul calls as the series continues.

"It's got to be called differently," Thomas said. "I can't be allowed to be held and grabbed every pin-down, every screen and I don't even shoot one free throw."

WALL STALL, STAR

Wall missed his first nine shots from the floor and made eight of his final 14. He said he knew he had to be aggressive, and Brooks was never worried about the All-Star guard losing his confidence or passing up good looks.

"He focuses on the next play, he made a big 3 and it kind of got him going and our defensive activity got us going," Brooks said. "He ended up having a really, really great game of leading our team defensively, offensively."

TIP-INS

Celtics: It's the first time in Thomas' playoff career that he has fallen short of 20 points in consecutive games. ... Kelly Olynyk was booed every time he touched the ball after his illegal screen preceded Kelly Oubre Jr.'s charge and shove in Game 3 that got him suspended. Fans chanted "Kelly Oubre!" on a few occasions as Olynyk finished 5 of 9 for 14 points. ... Back in the starting lineup, Amir Johnson had the first five points of the third quarter for Boston before the Wizards' run.

Wizards: Improved to 5-0 at home in the playoffs. ... Had 21 points off turnovers in the third quarter alone. ... Porter had 18 points. ... Wall has 20-plus points and seven-plus assists in 10 consecutive playoff games, the most in a single postseason in NBA history ahead of Michael Jordan's eight.

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Short-handed Wizards aim to even series vs. Celtics

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WASHINGTON -- The Washington Wizards turned up the physicality and turned in another strong start in their Game 3 win over the Boston Celtics Thursday night.

They hope to level the Eastern Conference playoff series at two victories apiece on Sunday despite being short-handed entering Game 4.

Wizards reserve Kelly Oubre Jr. was suspended one game, the NBA announced Saturday, "for charging and making forceful and unwarranted contact" with Celtics center Kelly Olynyk during the second quarter of Washington's 116-89 rout. The Flagrant-2 foul along with eight technical fouls overshadowed a dominant performance by the Wizards on both ends of the court as they cut the Celtics' series lead to 2-1.

John Wall scored 24 points for the Wizards, who took command with a 22-0 run in the first quarter.

Unlike their two losses in Boston, Washington didn't lose its large margin. Instead the Wizards extended it as they led by 30 points in the second half. Yet it was their tone-setting start that turned the game.

Washington defended aggressively on Boston guard Isaiah Thomas, who scored 53 points in Tuesday's 129-119 overtime win. With the series shifting to Washington, the 5-foot-9 Thomas found scant room to roam, finishing with 13 points on only eight field-goal attempts.

The venue may have changed but the animosity, which has built over two seasons, remained.

"I guess just two teams that really don't like each other," Wall said of the mutual intensity.

Whether the Wizards like it or not, they will play Sunday without Oubre, a key contributor off the bench. The second-year forward charged Olynyk moments after the Boston big man knocked him down with a hard pick. Whistled for a foul on the play, Olynyk was discussing the call with an official when Oubre ran his way.

"He should be suspended," Thomas said Saturday following Boston's practice on the campus of Georgetown University. "If you do that, that should be automatic. So we're not really worried about him or what they're doing. We're worried about the Celtics right now."

Wizards coach Scott Brooks praised the toughness his squad showed -- Washington won the rebounding battle 50-38, held Boston to 35.1 percent shooting and doubled up the Celtics' paint points 56-28 -- but also emphasized cooler heads must prevail.

"I think we've got to control our emotions," Brooks said after Game 3 in relation to Oubre's aggression. "We can't respond that way. ... When you keep getting hit in the head you might respond that way, and I think that's what he did. I'm not saying that was the right thing to do. We have to focus on playing basketball; we can't control what they're doing."

What the Wizards did to Thomas was two-fold.

Defensively, Washington sent several players at the All-Star guard. Unlike in the opening two games, those players kept Thomas from finding a rhythm and Boston's attack suffered.

Offensively, the Wizards didn't let Boston hide Thomas especially when he guarded bigger players like 6-8 Otto Porter.

"We watched a lot of film and just tried to figure out how we can make adjustments," said Porter, who had made his first seven field-goal attempts and scored 15 of his 19 points in the first half. "Especially with Isaiah guarding me, or whoever is guarding me trying to attack that side. If they double-team me, then I need to look for a shooter. It was just was a good adjustment that we made."

Boston had two days between games to come with a counter that allows the East's No. 1 seed to return home with a 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 series.

"We'll make adjustments as a team," said Thomas, who is playing with a heavy heart following the death of his younger sister last month. "I'll watch film (and) make adjustments. ... and see where I can pick them apart."

Washington will be without Oubre, who averaged 6.3 points and 20.3 minutes in the regular season.

"It's the consequence for my actions," Oubre said Saturday, according to CSNmidatlantic.com. "Right now, just looking forward to the next game I'm able to play."

His absence means more playing time for Porter and Bojan Bogdanovic, who had 19 points and four 3-pointers in Game 3.

"We have to take advantage of them having a guy down," Celtics starter Jae Crowder said. "Their second unit is going to be finding themselves a little bit without him, so we just have to capitalize."

Wizards beat Celtics 116-89 in technical foul-filled Game 3

By STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Sports Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) Eight technical fouls, three ejections and a whole lot of bad blood later, the Washington Wizards and Boston Celtics have themselves a series.

Tensions boiled over in a contentious, technical foul-filled Game 3 Thursday night as the Wizards rode another hot start to a 116-89 victory that cut their series deficit to 2-1. Washington built a big lead for the third consecutive game, holding and extending it this time as the score and the physical play got out of hand.

Washington's Kelly Oubre Jr. was tossed for charging and knocking over Kelly Olynyk after a hard offensive foul, each coach got a technical foul and the hatred that built up during the regular season captured the spotlight more than John Wall continuing to torment the Celtics or the Wizards finding a solution for Isaiah Thomas.

"I guess that's playoff basketball," said Thomas, who was held to 13 points after scoring 53 in Game 2. "We don't like them and they don't like us."

Wall led the Wizards with 24 points as he, Otto Porter and Bojan Bogdanovic keyed a 22-0 first-quarter run that made it 34-12. Unlike in Games 1 and 2, when Washington let 16-0 and 16-8 leads slip away, the defense was there on Thomas and the rest of his teammates to limit the Celtics to 35.1 percent shooting.

Boston coach Brad Stevens took a page from Rasheed Wallace's "Both teams played hard" playbook, repeating that the Wizards "played well" over and over. That was also his response to the physical nature of the game that included technicals for him and Wizards coach Scott Brooks, and the fourth-quarter ejections of reserves Terry Rozier and Brandon Jennings.

Oubre created the most fireworks with his outburst, leaping up from the ground to bowl over Olynyk in the second quarter, leading to a flagrant 2 foul and ejection. Though Wall hopes it's a learning experience for a young player, Oubre could be facing a suspension for his actions with a crucial Game 4 looming Sunday.

"We can't respond that way," Brooks said. "When you keep getting hit in the head, you might respond that way and I think that's what he did. I'm not saying that that was the right thing to do. We have to focus on playing basketball."

The Wizards were by far the better basketball team on Thursday night, shooting 46.7 percent thanks to 19 points each from Porter and Bogdanovic. They locked down defensively on Thomas, who never got into a rhythm and was on the wrong end of some post-ups against bigger opponents.

Hard fouls were part of the first two games of the series, but nothing like Game 3, as Celtics center Al Horford described the Wizards play as "the way that they junk the game up a little bit." Players and coaches on each side criticized officials for not having control of the game and letting it get out of hand, and the result was more than a few post-whistle extracurriculars.

"I guess just two teams that really don't like each other," Wall said. "We're two teams that's trying to compete and trying to win this series."

TIP-INS

Celtics: Horford led the team with 16 points. ... G Avery Bradley scored seven points after reporting soreness Wednesday from a hip pointer in Game 2. ... Jae Crowder has scored 10-plus points in a playoff career-high four consecutive games. He finished with 14. ... Gerald Green started in place of Amir Johnson after not playing in Game 2 and had eight points.

Wizards: Bogdanovic made four of the seven 3-pointers he attempted. ... C Marcin Gortat had 13 points and 16 rebounds, saying he has to dominate in the paint if the Celtics go small. ... Outscored Boston 56-28 in the paint.

THOMAS' TEETH

A symbol of the rough-and-tumble play, Thomas needed to have his dental work adjusted at halftime but missed only the first 1:40 of the third quarter.

"They came out, so I had to get `em back in," the 5-foot-9 All-Star said of his temporary teeth.

Thomas isn't worried about his mouth or his play as the series goes on, saying he struggled to adjust to Washington's triple-teams early and couldn't get into a rhythm in shooting 3 of 8 from the floor. He said next game he needs to be more aggressive and assertive.

MAHINMI RETURNS

Center Ian Mahinmi made his playoff debut for the Wizards after missing the past nine games with a left calf strain. Mahinmi played nine minutes and made his only shot.

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Wizards looking for home-court magic vs. Celtics

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WASHINGTON -- John Wall darted, dashed and dished from all over the court in Tuesday's Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series between his Washington Wizards and the Boston Celtics.

The performance was MVP worthy and solid enough to be the headliner on most nights. Just not that night, as the smallest player on the court rose above all.

The best-of-seven series could be short if the Wizards cannot keep Isaiah Thomas in check.

Thomas scored 53 points -- 29 during the fourth quarter and overtime -- as Boston pulled away for a 129-119 win over Washington. The Celtics lead 2-0 in the series with the next two matchups on the Wizards' home court, starting with Thursday's Game 3.

Maybe playing on familiar turf will help Washington's defenders deal with the 5-foot-9 Thomas. Considering he's thriving on the court despite all that life has thrown his way in recent days, who knows if stopping Thomas is any playbook?

On Saturday, Thomas attended the funeral of his sister, Chyna, who died in a car accident last month. His latest breathtaking performance -- he scored one less point than the entire Washington team over the final 17 minutes -- came on what would have been his sister's 23rd birthday. It also came the same day Thomas endured dental surgery after having a tooth knocked out in Game 1.

"What else is there to say?" Celtics coach Brad Stevens said of his team's leading man. "You know, there's a point today when he was not feeling good at all, and was having a tough day, and I thought he was going to really have to gut this one out. And he not only guts it out, he ends up with (53). Pretty impressive."

Wall was quite impressive for the Wizards, finishing with 40 points, 13 assists, three steals and three blocks. Fueled by its point guard and a gutty performance from starting power forward Markieff Morris, Washington led 110-104 with 2:43 remaining in regulation.

Boston tied the game on back-to-back 3-pointers by Thomas and Terry Rozier. After an Otto Porter 3-pointer put Washington up 114-112, Thomas again tied the game, sinking two free throws with 14 seconds left.

Wall and Bradley Beal missed jump shots for Washington on the final possession of regulation.

"It was tough. We had opportunities to win this game," Wall said. "Last 2-3 minutes, (we) had the opportunities to make shots, but we missed some good looks. They came down and made some tough shots. They made shots that we missed."

All of Washington's starters scored in double figures, including 14 from Beal, but his line included 1-of-9 shooting on 3-pointers.

Morris exited Game 1 with a sprained ankle after landing on the foot of Boston's Al Horford. His status for Tuesday's contest was unclear until the pre-game introductions.

Announced with the starters, Morris had 16 points in 27 minutes. He also helped set the game's physical tone by shoving Horford out of bounds as the two tussled for a loose ball.

"He adds a lot to our team with toughness," Wizards coach Scott Brooks said of Morris. "He's a very physical, tough player. He competes; he's done everything for us throughout this season."

The same can be said of Thomas, who came up one point shy of the franchise record for points in a playoff game. John Havlicek scored 54 in 1973.

"I didn't know I was close to 50. I was just so locked in that fourth quarter and overtime because I wanted to win the game so bad that I really didn't know what I had," Thomas said. "I just knew that I had to keep being aggressive. ... It's nice for your name to be in Celtics history because of all the great players, but until you win one of those Championships you can't call yourself a great player until you do that. That is the ultimate goal."

Washington won both home regular-season games against Boston.