Porter Scores Career-Best 34 As Wizards Rout Celtics 118-93
WASHINGTON (AP) — Otto Porter scored a career-high 34 points and the Washington Wizards jumped out to a big first-quarter lead and beat the Boston Celtics 118-93 on Wednesday night for their second victory of the season.
Porter shot 15 of 19, had 14 rebounds and sparked the fast start with 20 points in the first half. John Wall had 19 points before being ejected for a flagrant foul in the final minutes, and Trey Burke added 18 for Washington (2-5).
Wizards guard Bradley Beal left in the third quarter with right hamstring tightness after slipping to the ground.
Isaiah Thomas led the Celtics (3-4) with 23 points, and Avery Bradley had 21. Boston opened the game shooting 4 of 22, including 0 of 8 from 3, and lost its third in a row.
The Wizards took advantage of the Celtics' brutal early shooting to lead by 26 after the first quarter — the biggest at that stage of a game this season. According to ESPN Stats and Info, Boston's eight points were its fewest in the first quarter since scoring seven against the Milwaukee Bucks in 1974.
Improved shooting in the second got the Celtics within 15 by halftime, but the Wizards never let them threaten the rest of the way.
Wall was assessed a Flagrant-2 on video review for walloping Marcus Smart with 5:24 left in the fourth quarter.
TIP-INS
Wizards: Beat the Celtics for the first time since Dec. 27, 2014, snapping a four-game skid. ... Before the injury, Beal played only 7 minutes in the first half as Washington had a big lead. ... The team held a pregame moment of silence for Greg Ballard, a member of the 1978 NBA champion Bullets who died Wednesday at age 61.
Celtics: C Kelly Olynyk played 25 minutes and scored two points in his season debut after undergoing right shoulder surgery in May. ... F Jae Crowder missed his third consecutive game with a sprained left ankle.
OFF THE WALL
With three games in four nights, coach Scott Brooks said Wall won't play in one of the Wizards' upcoming games, Friday against Cleveland or Saturday at Chicago in an attempt to manage minutes with the all-star guard coming off surgery on each knee.
Wall was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Wednesday for inappropriate actions toward an official and failing to leave in a timely manner after being ejected late in a loss to Houston. Expecting the fine, Brooks said, "I'll buy dinner tomorrow for him."
HORFORD PROGRESS
Celtics coach Brad Stevens said C Al Horford made some more progress in the league's concussion protocol Tuesday after the team left Boston. Horford has missed four consecutive games.
"The process restarts itself if you have symptoms when you start the different levels of exercise, so he's had to restart a few times already," Stevens said.
UP NEXT
Celtics: Host the New York Knicks on Friday in the first half of a back-to-back.
Wizards: Host LeBron James and the Cavaliers on Friday fresh off the defending champions' trip to the White House.
