Wizards use 26- 0 run to rout Celtics, tie series
It wasn’t enough for the Washington Wizards to force turnover after another and make baskets every time down the floor to take a lead over the Boston Celtics.
They wanted to blow them out.
The Wizards did just that in a 121-102 rout in Game 5 on Sunday night thanks to a 26-0 thirdquarter run that featured big-time contributions from John Wall, Bradley Beal, Markieff Morris and Otto Porter.
That six-minute stretch busted the game open and Washington tied the second-round series at two games apiece. Game 5 is Wednesday night in Boston.
“We’re capable of those type of runs every game,” said Morris, who finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds. “Keep pressing them, go up 50 if we can. That’s the mindset I felt like all of us had.”
Washington never led by 50, but after trailing 53-48 early in the third it was 74-53 by the time Porter made a layup with 5 minutes left in the quarter. Wall had seven of his 27 points and three of his 12 assists during the run as the Celtics committed eight turnovers — including back-to-back shot-clock violations — and went 0 for 5. James Harden scored 28 points, Eric Gordon added 22 and the Houston Rockets rebounded from consecutive losses to beat the San Antonio Spurs and tie the Western Conference semifinal at 2-2. The Rockets never trailed and used hot 3-point shooting to pull away in the third quarter. Game 5 is Tuesday night in San Antonio. Jonathon Simmons had 17 points for the Spurs, and Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge added 16 apiece. Houston made 22 3-pointers in a blowout win in Game 1, but had struggled from longrange in its two losses. The Rockets’ 3-point shooting, a hallmark of their success in the regular season, got back on track Sunday when they made 19 of 43, led by six from Gordon.