Thomas, Celtics overwhelm Wizards
Nothing it seems can stop Isaiah Thomas this postseason — be it pains big or small.
The All-Star led the Celtics to a first-round win over Chicago in a haze after learning the day before that series began that his younger sister, Chyna Thomas, had died in a car accident outside of his native Tacoma, Washington.
That pain persisted on the eve of Boston’s second-round pairing with the Washington Wizards, when he flew cross-country to attend her funeral.
Then Sunday’s game brought the latest dose of adversity, when he had one of his front teeth dislodged after an early game collision. But as he’s done all postseason, he continued to find a way to push through it.
Thomas had 33 points and nine assists, and the Celtics made 19 3-pointers to beat the Wizards 123-111 and take a 1-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal matchup.
“I got in at 4 a.m.,” Thomas said of his second flight to Washington in two weeks. “It’s tough, but it’s the playoffs so there are no excuses. I decided to play and I just tried to give it all for my team.”
The Celtics star flew to the funeral with Boston president of basketball operations Danny Ainge and assistant coach Jerome Allen.
During player introductions, Thomas pointed to the TD Garden rafters when his name was called.
Al Horford added 21 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Jae Crowder finished with career playoff-high 24 points.
Game 2 is set for Tuesday night.
The Wizards were more energetic at the outset, jumping out to a 16-0 advantage and leading by as many as 17 points. But the Celtics rallied with Thomas briefly sidelined while getting his tooth repositioned in the second quarter.
“I didn’t know if we’d ever score and I didn’t know if they’ve ever stop scoring,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said.
Bradley Beal led Washington with 27 points. John Wall added 20 points and 16 assists.
Washington starter Markieff Morris played just 11 minutes before leaving with a sprained left ankle in the second quarter after landing awkwardly on Horford’s foot.
The Wizards also had a tough time responding after Stevens started Marcus Smart in place of Gerald Green in the third quarter.
“They were a little more aggressive than we were,” Beal said. “Our defense slipped a little. We lacked some IQ and focus.” Gordon Hayward scored 26 points and the Utah Jazz easily eliminated the Los Angeles Clippers, winning the first-round playoff series 4-3. George Hill and Derrick Favors added 17 points apiece in Utah’s first postseason victory since 2010. The Jazz advanced to face top-seeded Golden State in the Western Conference semifinals. The Warriors swept Portland 4-0 and have been waiting since Wednesday to find out their next opponent. Game 1 is Tuesday in Oakland. The Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan had 24 points and 17 rebounds for his seventh doubledouble of the series. Jamal Crawford added 20 points off the bench. Chris Paul had 13 points for the Clippers, who were sent packing in the first round for the second straight year. Last season, they lost to Portland after Paul and Blake Griffin went down with injuries. This time, they didn’t have Griffin again after he was lost in Game 3 with a big-toe injury. In the most closely contested series of the first round — and the only to go seven games — the Clippers came up strangely flat with their season on the line. J.J. Redick didn’t hit his first 3-pointer until the game’s final 3 ½ minutes, drawing the Clippers within eight. Paul couldn’t muster any of his fourthquarter magic, either. He went scoreless with three assists in the period.