Washington Wizards Blitz Boston from the Tip, Take Game 3

Washington Wizards knew that Game 3 would be the biggest game of their season. No team has ever returned from a 3-0 deficit in a best of 7 series, and they returned home at the right time. The Wizards used renewed physicality and toughness to bully Boston from the opening tip.

As had been the case for the first two games, the Washington starters got a quick jump on the Celtics. After Boston tied the game at 12, the Wizards would go on a 22-0 run to break the game open.

Great defense in the first quarter paired with great shooting and ball movement led to the run, which lasted only 5 minutes.

Three of the biggest contributors in the quarter were players who struggled in game 2. Bradley Beal scored the team’s first seven points and was much more aggressive than he was in Game 2. The first basket of the game came on a Beal offensive rebound and putback. He did pick up 2 early fouls, which disrupted his momentum.

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In the first quarter Otto Porter was 4-4 with 9 points, including two huge steals during the big run.

Bojan Bogdanovic, who only played 8 minutes in Game 2, much to Scott Brook’s chagrin, was 3-3 from three point range in quarter one as well.

Not Letting Isaiah Thomas Rest On Defense

In the second quarter, on 3 or 4 consecutive possessions Washington posted Otto Porter up on the smaller Isaiah Thomas. The Celtics had been putting Thomas on Porter and Kelly Oubre Jr. for much of the series, players who do mostly off-ball work.

The Wizards mixed in post moves from Morris and Wall in order to knock IT around more than previous games. Isaiah was out of it offensively in the first half, scoring 7 points and shooting 3-7 from the free throw line.

Kelly Oubre

Speaking of Kelly Oubre, the highlight (?) of the night certainly came when he rushed Celtic’s Kelly Olynyk, who had hit Oubre high on two occasions during screens. Oubre was ejected for his actions.

Oubre’s reaction was boneheaded (he could get suspended for game 4), but he stood up for himself and showed that he had (somewhat) taken Markieff Morris’ comments to heart. DeathRowDC was alive.

Help From The Bench

Even without their 6th man, the Wizards never let their lead dip below 18. While John Wall played 34 of the first 36 minutes of the game, the bench filled in around him.

Ian Mahinmi, who returned from a 9 game absence, provided great defensive intensity. While Gortat can block shots, Mahinmi is much more adept at chasing down blocks, and is the biggest player on the floor in this series. He ended the game with 2 blocks in 10 minutes.

Bogdanovic, who got most of the minutes usually allotted to Oubre, finished with 19 points and 4 three points.

Benches clear

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But not in a bad way. With Washington up by 25+ and less than 10 minutes left, both coaches went deep onto the bench to pick players.

After the ejection of Brandon Jennings for continuous instigating, Trey Burke entered the game. Burke had not played since the regular season, and only 48 minutes since February 28.

For Boston, Kentucky alum James Young only played 29 games this season.

The Stars

Much was made of how Bradley Beal would return after his dismal Game 2. After his scoring the first seven points for Washington, Beal did little offensively because of foul trouble. He finished with 11 points on 4-12 shooting in 26 minutes.

Still it was great to see Beal being more engaged on both sides of the ball and is certainly promising moving forward.

John Wall ended the game playing 34 minutes through the first three quarters, and received a well deserved rest in the fourth quarter.

Washington played just about as well as they could ask for and have to feel confident heading into Game 4 on Sunday night. Role players tend to play better at home and that was certainly the case. The team has been confident throughout its struggles and this game can only help to raise that confidence.

Next: Washington Wizards: The Magnificent Markieff Morris

If Washington brings the same intensity and physicality to Game 4, they may find themselves tied 2-2 in the series.