WASHINGTON (AP) – Jaylen Brown scored 31 points, and the Boston Celtics overcame an off night for Jayson Tatum to beat the Washington Wizards 108-96 in the NBA Cup on Friday night.
The Celtics improved to 2-1 in East Group C of this competition with one game remaining. Washington is 0-2 and has lost 10 in a row overall.
The Wizards hung in there in front of a crowd that included recently injured Capitals star Alex Ovechkin. Washington trailed by five in the final minute when Brown made a high arcing jumper to make it 99-92 with 46 seconds remaining.
Tatum went 0 for 10 from 3-point range and scored 16 points, although a couple free throws with 11 seconds left enabled him to extend his streak to 55 consecutive games with at least 15 points.
Jordan Poole led Washington with 23 points. Neither team shot well from 3-point range, with Boston finishing 11 of 46 and the Wizards going 7 of 28.
Celtics: Boston was missing Al Horford because of a non-COVID illness, and with Kristaps Porzingis also out, it fell to players like Luke Kornet to provide size. Kornet had six points and six rebounds without missing a shot from the field.
Wizards: Washington did outscore Boston 52-30 in the paint, but this was a missed opportunity on a night the Celtics weren’t at their best.
Down by six in the fourth, Washington’s Kyle Kuzma got himself free but missed a shot from in close. Tatum’s jumper at the other end completed a four-point swing that gave the Celtics a 97-89 advantage.
Only Luka Doncic (84 games entering Friday) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (61) have longer active streaks of scoring 15 points than Tatum.
The Celtics return home to face Minnesota on Sunday. Washington plays at Indiana that same day.
