• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Bradley lifts Boston past Washington

Mar 26, 2012 - 1:56 AM Boston, MA (Sports Network) - With Ray Allen missing his second straight game with a sore right ankle, Avery Bradley filled in a big way, scoring a career-high 23 points to lead Boston to an 88-76 victory over the Wizards at TD Garden on Sunday.

Paul Pierce poured in 21 points to go with eight rebounds while Kevin Garnett and Greg Stiesma chipped in 10 points apiece and Rajon Rondo handed out 11 assists to give the Celtics their sixth straight home win.

"He was awesome out there tonight," remarked Pierce about Bradley. "He's just gaining more confidence. It's good to watch him mature before your eyes."

Jordan Crawford led the way for Washington with 20 points and John Wall chipped in 12 to go with nine assists. Kevin Seraphin had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds in place of the injured Nene, who missed the contest due to back spasms.

The Wizards fell to 0-2 on their current stretch of three games in three nights.

It didn't take Bradley long to get into the flow of the offense as he tallied 13 points in a 17-4 run to open up the game for the Celtics.

Bradley finished the frame with 15 points on 7-of-7 shooting to propel Boston to a 27-12 lead after one.

"There was no fight in the first five minutes of that game," said Wizards head coach Randy Wittman. "That was a lay-up drill with no defense. I don't know why it happened. We can't afford to give up starts like that."

The lead quickly jumped to 23 as the Celtic scored the first eight points of the second quarter to take a 35-12 lead just under three minutes into the frame.

Washington battled back in the latter stages of the stanza, closing the half on a 10-4 run to trim the deficit under 20, 53-34, heading into the locker room.

After Bradley sank a jumper to start the third, Washington scored the next 13 points to pull within single-digits for the first time since the first quarter as they trailed 55-47 with 6:34 to left in the quarter.

Boston reestablished its double-digit lead by scoring the next 10 to take a 69-55 lead into the final frame.

Crawford's triple brought the Wizards within 10 with just over five minutes left in the fourth, but Pierce answered with a three of his own to spark a 9-0 surge that found the Celtics on top 86-67 with less than three minutes to play.

Game Notes

Boston will travel to Charlotte on Monday, while the Wizards will host the Pistons on Monday to wrap up a back-to-back-to-back....According to head coach Doc Rivers, Allen had an MRI on his ankle over the weekend and will also miss Monday's game in Charlotte...The Celtics never trailed in the game, despite being outscored 42-35 in the second half...Garnett became the 18th player in NBA history to reach the 24,000 point plateau.