(Photo: Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Washington Wizards held a marginal lead for the majority of the first three quarters of Christmas Day against the Boston Celtics until Kyrie Irving drained a three-pointer in Otto Porter Jr.'s face to give the home team a 95-90 lead, their largest of the game, with 6:18 to play. Washington finished the game on a 21-8 run to secure the victory, unlike in Game 7 last season when they gave up an 18-2 second half run and 14 fourth quarter points to Kelly Olynyk. Heres how this season's Wizards got it done.
While stumbling, on a broken play, John Wall was able to put up a fadeaway jump shot with two seconds left in the shot clock that somehow found the bottom of the basket. Wall joked after the game that it was his most difficult shot of the game. It was only one of two jump shots that Wall made in the game and he was overall 2 of 11 (18.2 percent) outside the paint on Monday. With the momentum clearly in Boston's favor and TD Garden ready to erupt, Wall's jumper was arguably the most important shot of the game for Washington.
On the next possession, it was solid help defense from Kelly Oubre Jr. to come off of Jaylen Brown to ensure Al Horford did not get an open look on a jump shot, while Markieff Morris was helping on Kyrie Irving following pick and roll action.
Oubre was rewarded for his effort seconds later as Wall pushed the tempo in transition, hit Oubre with a 50 foot pass and then the third-year wing flew past Jaylen Brown for an easy dunk. Morris had a nice seal of Horford in the paint to make sure Oubre went in uncontested.
Following a missed layup from Irving that barely rimmed out, Wall found Oubre again who knocked down the only three-pointer for the team outside of Otto Porter Jr. and Morris as Washington made their opponent pay for Irving's lax defense.
As if the last two fourth quarter teams were meant to be taken over by Kelly's, Oubre's stellar stretch continued as he helped force a turnover by Terry Rozier by swiping at the ball handler as he drove by.
Bradley Beal came through with an and-1 finish against Marcus Smart on the next play as Morris set a decent enough screen against the defensive minded guard to give Beal enough room to begin his drive against Smart who did not have his feet set when recovering from the pick.
Washington's strong defense continued when Wall intercepted a pass intended for Horford from Irving. Beal sprinted down court in transition, was hit in stride by Wall, and the Big Panda did the rest with a running slam that forced a Brad Stevens timeout with the road team up 102-95 with 3:43 remaining.
Out of the timeout, Stevens must have drew up one of his patented ATO plays as Horford freed up wide open in the paint. Jayson Tatum, as well as he may be playing as a rookie, is still a 19-year old and that showed as he airmailed, what should have been a simple assist, out of bounds.
A few possessions later, Boston's ability to switch everything with their position-less lineup backfired. Smart was on Porter, Tatum was on Oubre, and Horford was on Morris. Smart wanted to pass Porter onto Horford, but the stretch-five stayed with Morris meaning the Wizards twin was doubled as Smart stayed on Morris. Tatum picked up Porter cutting across the paint and tried to indicate to Horford to pick up Oubre standing next to the rim, but that switch was not made and Wall hit Oubre with a bullet pass for an easy dunk.
Not to be outdone by Irving who had just blown by Wall for a layup to end a four-minute field goal drought, Wall brought Porter into pick and roll action to get switched onto Tatum. Wall accelerated to the free throw line extended, stutter stepped, and then blew by the rookie for an easy path to the basket where he had an uncontested layup.
On the Wizards next offensive possession, Oubre grabbed one of seven of Washington's fourth quarter offensive rebounds and immediately drew attention from Irving, Jaylen Brown, and Al Horford, which made it an easy bounce pass to Morris for a dunk.
Two more offensive rebounds, one by Porter hustling in from the left corner and one by Beal as the result of Irving somehow not corralling a missed free throw, secured the 111-103 victory for Washington.
This six minute stretch, albeit there were a couple of lapses, was probably the best basketball the Wizards have played against a quality opponent all season and as Scott Brooks admitted after the game, was the closest they have looked to last season's form in the past three months.