The Boston Celtics had extremely high expectations, but have not gotten off to the best start. Anticipated to be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, the Celtics entered Wednesday with a 3-3 record, including an embarrassing loss at home against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday. The Celtics have been dealing with injuries, as Al Horford, Jae Crowder, and Kelly Olynyk were not healthy for the game against the Nuggets.
"We're not as good as we thought we were," Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas said after their loss to the Nuggets. "When we don't come out with a sense of urgency, we're not a good team, and that's what happened tonight."
On Wednesday, the day after Election Day, the Celtics traveled to Washington, D.C. hoping to Make The Celtics Great Again.
Unfortunately for the Celtics, that did not happen.
The Celtics were blown out yet again, losing 118-93 to the Wizards. Otto Porter enjoyed a phenomenal game, as he scored 34 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, had three steals, and blocked three shots. Isaiah Thomas had 23 points, six rebounds, and 10 assists, leading the team in each of those categories.
With the win, Washington moves to 2-5, while the Celtics fall to 3-4.
Historically Lopsided First Quarter
Despite their loss on Sunday, Celtics coach Brad Stevens interestingly decided to not make any changes to their starting lineup. Whether it was a mistake in their lineup or a continuation of no sense of urgency, the Celtics simply did not have it together in the first quarter. Despite Marcin Gortat and Tyler Zeller each hitting layups to open up the game for their respective teams, the Wizards then went on a 16-0 run, jumping out to an 18-2 lead midway through the period.
Unfortunately for the Celtics, it only got worse. The final six minutes were nearly identical to the first six minutes scoring wise, as the Wizards closed out the quarter with a commanding 34-8 lead. 13 of Porter's 34 points came in the first quarter, including three three-pointers.
The eight points for the Celtics in the first quarter was the worst for the franchise in more than four decades. The 26-point-deficit was the largest in franchise history.
Boston shot just 4-22 from the floor and 0-8 from deep.
Too Much of a Deficit to Overcome
The Celtics offense finally came alive in the second quarter, as the "C's" outscored the Wizards 35-24. Thomas scored 13 points in the quarter, while Avery Bradley contributed with five. This cut the Wizards lead to 58-43 at the half.
However, Boston would not come much closer than that. The Wizards outscored the Celtics 60-50 in the second half and cruised to victory.
Frustrating Day for the Celtics
Kelly Olynyk returned to the Celtics lineup on Wednesday, hoping to solve their rebounding issues, but did not help enough. Boston was killed on the glass, losing the overall battle 54-31 and the offensive rebound battle 19-7. Al Horford is still dealing with a concussion but will come back soon. The Celtics certainly cannot wait to have his rebounding presence back, as well as his above-average offensive abilities.
Boston also struggled mightily at the free throw line. The Celtics got to the line 22 times but made just 13, good for just 59.1 percent. On the other side, the Wizards hit 16 of 20 shots from the charity stripe.
Isaiah Thomas shot a perfect 10-10 from the line, but Demetrius Jackson, Terry Rozier, Jaylen Brown, Avery Bradley, and Marcus Smart combined to shoot just 3-12.