(The Sports Xchange) The Boston Celtics cruised to a 123-101 blowout of the Washington Wizards in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals on Wednesday.
Up 3-2 in the series, top-seeded Boston can advance to meet the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern finals with a win today in Washington or on Monday at home. If the Celtics win on Friday, they would open against Cleveland on Monday. If the Boston-Washington series goes to seven, the winner meets the Cavaliers on Wednesday.
The Celtics and Wizards have played nine times this year, and the home team has won all nine games — with Boston 5-0 at home, where it has won eight straight over Washington.
Avery Bradley, who has been battling hip pointers, scored 25 of his playoff-career-high 29 points in the first half as the Celtics built a 22-point halftime lead that grew to 26 in the fourth quarter. Bradley hit his last basket with 5:55 left in the third quarter and rested in the fourth.
Al Horford scored 19 points and added seven assists and six rebounds for Boston. Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder both scored 18, Thomas with nine assists and Crowder with eight rebounds. Thomas scored eight straight in the fourth.
The Celtics went 16-for-33 from 3-pointers and became the sixth team in NBA history with at least 10 treys in six straight playoff games.
John Wall led the Wizards, who were coming off two straight blowout wins at home, with 21 points, and Bradley Beal had 16. However, the Washington guards combined to go just 14 of 36 from the floor, 2 of 7 from 3-point range. Otto Porter added 13 points and Marcin Gortat grabbed 11 rebounds.
