Some feared the worst when Washington opened up Game 5 with a 4-0 lead out of the gates against Boston.
Brad Stevens? He kept calm and told his guys to carry on.
They did just that.
Stevens chose not to call timeout and instead showcased a confident demeanor from the sideline. His players responded with a 16-0 run that set the tone for the remainder of the game and placed Boston one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals.
The best part of the run? It was all-inclusive. Each member of Boston’s starting five contributed, with Al Horford providing five points, Jae Crowder scoring four points, Avery Bradley dropping in three points, and Isaiah Thomas and Amir Johnson adding in two points apiece.
Boston’s lead never dropped below eight the rest of the night, and it eventually pulled ahead by as many as 26 points before cruising to the finish line for a 123-101 victory.
Key Player
Oh, hello Avery Bradley! Welcome back to the series.
Bradley was missing in action during Game 4, when he shot 2-for-9 from the field and scored only four points while dealing with a pair of hip pointers. Let’s just say Game 5 was a bit different, as the shooting guard was spry from start to finish while dropping a playoff career-high 29 points.
Bradley also boosted the Celtics with six rebounds and three assists during 30-plus minutes of action.
The 80 words above don’t do this performance justice, so be sure to check back to Celtics.com for more coverage on Bradley’s incredible night.
Box Score Nuggets
– Four of Boston’s five starters scored at least 18 points, led by 29 by Avery Bradley.
– Marcus Smart came off of Boston’s bench to tie for the game high in rebounds with 11.
– The Celtics committed only 11 turnovers, and the Wizards coughed it up only 12 times.
– Boston shot an impressive 16-for-33 from long distance, which was paced by a 4-for-7 effort by Bradley.
– John Wall led the Wizards with 21 points.
– Marcin Gortat tied for the game high in rebounds with 11.
– No member of Washington’s team dished out more than four assists.
– Three Celtics dished out at least six assists: Isaiah Thomas (nine), Al Horford (seven), Marcus Smart (six).
– Horford totaled 19 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three blocked shots.
– Both teams scored 46 points in the paint.
– Washington’s 24 made free-throws were nine more than Boston’s 15.
– The Celtics shot 52.9 percent from the field compared to only 38.5 percent by the Wizards.
– Smart, Terry Rozier and Kelly Olynyk each came off the bench to grab two steals while accounting for six of the team’s seven steals.
– Each of the nine Celtics who played more than five minutes finished with a plus/minus rating of at least plus-six.
– Wall and Bradley Beal (16 points) combined to shoot 14-for-36 from the field.
– Boston’s starters combined to shoot 35-for-61 (57.4 percent).
Quote of the Night
“The first part of our mindset was to throw it to our team.”—Brad Stevens jokes about the Celtics cutting their turnovers down to 11 after committing 20 during Game 4.
By Marc D’Amico for Celtics.com
First appeared on NBA.com Global
