The battle of the Eastern Conference up-and-comers ended with the Boston Celtics defeating the Washington Wizards 110-102, putting 2.5 games between the second-place Celtics and the trailing Wizards. The Celtics remain 2 games behind the reconstituted Cavaliers. But all four teams at the top of the conference have experienced mediocrity lately. In their last ten games the Cavs are 5-5, the Celtics and Wizards both 6-4, and the fourth place Raptors 5-5.
[Brad Stevens Says Celtics Goal “To Win It All” on 60 Minutes Sports]
Boston’s middling performance may be attributed to an injury that kept star Isaiah Thomas out of the past two games. Thomas returned with 25 points. Both the Celtics and Wizards are recognized for their tenacity and strong guard play, and they have a history of physical play that continued. Boston has 11 games left on the schedule and the Wizards have 12.
