Wizards Cut Deficit Over Celtics, Warriors Win

By ESPN

Eight technical fouls, three ejections and a whole lot of bad blood later, the Washington Wizards and Boston Celtics have themselves a series.

Tensions boiled over in a contentious, technical foul-filled Game 3 Thursday night as the Wizards rode another hot start to a 116-89 victory that cut their series deficit to 2-1. Washington built a big lead for the third consecutive game, holding and extending it this time as the score and the physical play got out of hand.

Washington's Kelly Oubre Jr. was tossed for charging and knocking over Kelly Olynyk after a hard offensive foul, each coach got a technical foul and the hatred that built up during the regular season captured the spotlight more than John Wall continuing to torment the Celtics or the Wizards finding a solution for Isaiah Thomas.

"I guess that's playoff basketball," said Thomas, who was held to 13 points after scoring 53 in Game 2. "We don't like them and they don't like us."

Wall led the Wizards with 24 points as he, Otto Porter and Bojan Bogdanovic keyed a 22-0 first-quarter run that made it 34-12. Unlike in Games 1 and 2, when Washington let 16-0 and 16-8 leads slip away, the defense was there on Thomas and the rest of his teammates to limit the Celtics to 35.1 percent shooting.

Boston coach Brad Stevens took a page from Rasheed Wallace's "Both teams played hard" playbook, repeating that the Wizards "played well" over and over. That was also his response to the physical nature of the game that included technicals for him and Wizards coach Scott Brooks, and the fourth-quarter ejections of reserves Terry Rozier and Brandon Jennings.

Oubre created the most fireworks with his outburst, leaping up from the ground to bowl over Olynyk in the second quarter, leading to a flagrant 2 foul and ejection. Though Wall hopes it's a learning experience for a young player, Oubre could be facing a suspension for his actions with a crucial Game 4 looming Sunday.

"We can't respond that way," Brooks said. "When you keep getting hit in the head, you might respond that way and I think that's what he did. I'm not saying that that was the right thing to do. We have to focus on playing basketball."

The Wizards were by far the better basketball team on Thursday night, shooting 46.7 percent thanks to 19 points each from Porter and Bogdanovic. They locked down defensively on Thomas, who never got into a rhythm and was on the wrong end of some post-ups against bigger opponents.

Hard fouls were part of the first two games of the series, but nothing like Game 3, as Celtics center Al Horford described the Wizards play as "the way that they junk the game up a little bit." Players and coaches on each side criticized officials for not having control of the game and letting it get out of hand, and the result was more than a few post-whistle extracurriculars.

"I guess just two teams that really don't like each other," Wall said. "We're two teams that's trying to compete and trying to win this series."

Warriors 115, Jazz 104

Now, the Golden State Warriors want Draymond Green to pack his 3-point shot for the altitude of Salt Lake City.

Green showed Quin Snyder his hot hand and range up close, knocking down five 3-pointers and scoring 21 points before a brief knee scare late in the Golden State Warriors' 115-104 victory over the Utah Jazz on Thursday night for a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.

"We love that shot. It gives us a huge lift," Stephen Curry said of Green's perimeter touch. "Hopefully that jumper travels when we go to Utah because those shots will be open."

Kevin Durant added 25 points with 13 free throws, 11 rebounds and seven assists, while Curry had 23 points, seven assists and played smothering defense as Golden State stayed unblemished through six playoff games.

Gordon Hayward overcame a poor Game 1 and slow start in this one to score 33 points, and Rudy Gobert had 16 points and 16 rebounds before fouling out for a Jazz team missing injured point guard George Hill. He was ruled out earlier in the day because of a sore left big toe.

Game 3 is Saturday night in Salt Lake City.

Green received chants of "Dray-mond!" when he headed for the locker room with 7:24 to play, then cheers when he returned at the 5:16 mark. He came up awkwardly after hitting the floor on a drive, then grabbed at his left knee -- which the team said he "tweaked."

"I knew my knee was just locking up a little bit. I had it before," he said.

Snyder made it clear when the series began he won't be alienating Green again by daring him to let it fly from long range -- or saying anything that could be perceived as a slight.

Five months after the Jazz coach commented about allowing the emotional Golden State star to shoot from way out, Snyder said before the game he had learned his lesson about fueling the All-Star forward.

Green has been fueling himself just fine, and his teammates, too -- delivering on the offensive side this game after establishing the Warriors' defensive intensity during the first five playoff games.

All his 3s were in the first half as the Warriors led wire to wire again. Golden State's six straight victories to begin a postseason are a franchise record.

Green also had seven rebounds, six assists, four steals and another block to bring his six-game playoff total to 20.

The Jazz will have to hope more of their shots start falling once back home.

Hayward began 1 for 5 but bounced back to shoot 11 of 21 after going 4 for 15 in Game 1.

"We play with attitude when we get down. We have to do it from the beginning," Gobert said. "I think we need to play angry from the first minute."

Utah cut the lead to six on Rodney Hood's jumper with 9:55 remaining in the third and trailed by 10 heading into the final 12 minutes. The Warriors went on a 5-0 run but had a tough time closing it out.

"There's no excuse for that. We're 6-0, you couldn't ask for a better start, but this is the playoffs and we can't let teams get confident," Klay Thompson said. "I thought we did that tonight."

Warriors coach Steve Kerr missed his fourth straight game as he deals with symptoms stemming from complications after two back surgeries following the 2015 championship run. Kerr won't travel with the team to Utah as he seeks answers in his healing and goes to medical appointments. Mike Brown and a veteran coaching staff are leading the way.

"We don't want to rationalize being here because this is the first time we've been in this situation for a while," Snyder said of being down 0-2.

Thursday, May 4 Scoreboard

Washington 116, Boston 89

Eastern Conference Semifinals -- Game 3

Golden State 115, Utah 104

Western Conference Semifinals -- Game 2

Friday, May 5 Schedule (All Times Central)

Cleveland at Toronto, 6 p.m.

Eastern Conference Semifinals --  Game 3

San Antonio at Houston, 8:30 p.m.

Western Conference Semifinals -- Game 3

Saturday, May 6  Scheudle (All Times Central)

Golden  State at Utah, 7:30 p.m.

Western Conference Semifinals -- Game 3

Sunday, May 7 Schedule (All Times Central)

Cleveland at Toronto, 2:30 p.m.

Eastern Conference Semifinals -- Game 4

Boston at Washington, 5:30 p.m.

Eastern  Conference Semifinals -- Game 4

San Antonio at Houston, 8 p.m.

Western Conference Semifinals -- Game 4