The NBA-leading Boston Celtics start with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
It takes a whole lot more to rise to the top with a 15-4 record and 11 wins in a 12-game span.
Who will step up Sunday night as the Celtics look to continue their run of play against the Washington Wizards? There are plenty of options.
With Brown and Marcus Smart in foul trouble, Boston turned to Payton Pritchard and Luke Kornet in Friday’s 122-104 win. The duo combined to score 14 second-half points as the Celtics overcame a third-quarter deficit.
“We talked about it from Day 1. We have a lot of different ways we can do things,” Celtics interim coach Joe Mazzulla said. “Credit to Payton and Luke, what they do on a daily basis to stay ready. That says a lot about where we can go with our team.”
Tatum (30 points on 10-of-17 shooting, including seven during a late 19-0 run) and Brown (25) still led the Boston scorers, but the comeback win would not have been possible without the important contributions from the bench.
“We’re going to be down six in the third quarter sometimes. And that’s OK, it’s supposed to happen,” Mazzulla said. “Right now, everything is going really well for us.”
Brown has scored 25 or more points in four straight games.
The Celtics are playing the third of a six-game homestand that continues with a Monday visit from Charlotte and two games in three nights with Miami.
They won’t have back-to-back off days until the halfway mark of an upcoming six-game road trip, concluding in California.
“We always have to find ways to get guys rest and steal minutes here and there,” Mazzulla said. “I think guys are in a great spot physically and mentally.”
The Wizards finished a rare set of back-to-back games in Miami, losing both by a single possession. Friday was a 110-107 loss, despite Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma each scoring 28 points.
“We did enough throughout the course of the game to put ourselves in position to win,” Beal said. “Just a matter of us getting stops on the defensive end.”
Beal, who has seven consecutive 20-point games and averages 21.5 in his career against Boston, had missed the Wednesday matchup with a thigh contusion.
Rookie guard Johnny Davis (groin), Monte Morris (ankle) and Rui Hachimura (ankle) missed Friday’s game. The latter two have been out for the last three games.
“(Morris has) had some issues in the past. It’s just been more managing,” Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. “It flared up a bit, so we’re trying to get that to calm down, get the strength and mobility back.”
The Celtics have won the last three head-to-head meetings, and this will be the second of the season in Boston.
On Oct. 30, Brown logged a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds in a 112-94 win.
Kristaps Porzingis had 17 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Wizards. It was one of his team-leading six double-doubles.
–Field Level Media
