Avery Bradley scored a playoff career-high 29 points and Kelly Oubre was received with insults from Boston fans in the Celtics’ 123-101 home victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.
Though Bradley, a 2010 NBA draft first-round pick, had one of the best nights of his career, he knew he couldn’t beat his postseason opponents alone.
”We’re a team,” Bradley said. “And it’s going to take a team effort to beat the Washington Wizards.”
The Celtics indeed played like a team on Wednesday: Al Horford contributed 19 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and Isaiah Thomas added 18 points and nine assists. Jae Crowder finished with 18 points and eight boards.
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Though the Wizards scored the first four points of the game, the Celtics went on a 16-0 run immediately afterwards.
”The great start kind of got us going on both ends of the floor,” Bradley said. ”Tonight we saw if we’re able to start the right way, the game’s in our control.”
Check out some of the Celtics guard’s highlights here:
Bradley was fighting bruises on both sides of his pelvis, but this didn’t stop the 26-year-old shooting guard from scoring 14 first-quarter points, two more than he finished with in Games 3 and 4 combined.
“Fine,” Bradley said of his hips. “Those two days [of rest] were very important for me. I feel like our training staff is the best. They made sure that I was in twice a day icing my hips, taking care of myself, and I just wanted to come out and play as hard as I can, play through the pain, whatever it is.”
Unlike Bradley, Wizards forward Kelly Oubre Jr. did not have a good night. Oubre was treated to boos, jeers and even reportedly insults from Celtics fans every time he touched the ball. The Washington star served a one-game suspension for Sunday’s Game 4 after charging at Boston’s Kelly Olynyk in Game 3, from which Oubre was ejected.
In response, Celtics supporters began chanting “We want Oubre!” at first during the opening quarter, but then seemed to grow more aggressive with their screams, and started yelling something that sounded like “F— you, Oubre” later in the game:
Oubre claimed he expected to be treated disrespectfully by the TD Garden crowd of nearly 19,000 fans, and seemed unencumbered by the jeers and boos. Wizards coach Scott Brooks stated he suggested the forward wear earplugs for Game 5.
“A lot of people are going to be booing me tonight,” said a smiling Oubre during Washington’s pre-game shoot-around, according to The Washington Post’s Candace Buckner. “They know who I am, so it’s definitely a blessing.”
Wizards power forward Markieff Morris also said he wasn’t surprised by the crowd’s behavior, and noted Boston’s reputation as a city filled with angry and profane sports fans.
Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals is Friday at 8 pm EST in Washington. Game 7 would be Monday night in Boston.
BOSTON, MA – MAY 10: Avery Bradley #0 of the Boston Celtics dunks against the Washington Wizards during the first half of Game Five of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at TD Garden on May 10, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts.
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