The Celtics bounced back to beat the Washington Wizards 111-100 Saturday night at TD Garden to snap a two-game skid.
Neemias Queta finished with 24 points on 11-of-13 from the floor, 10 rebounds and two blocks, while Jayson Tatum returned from a one-game absence to record 20 points on 8-of-19 to go along with 14 rebounds and seven assists.
"I feel a lot more relaxed," Tatum told reporters following his fourth game back from a torn Achilles. "I'm finding more and more moments each game where I'm feeling more confident, more explosive, whether it's driving or a closeout or reacting to something."
Jaylen Brown added 16 points, while Derrick White (also returned from a one absence) and Luka Garza (in 15 minutes off the bench) each scored 15 points respectively to help the Celtics improve to 22-10 at home and 44-23 overall.
Tristan Vukcevic had 22 points on 6-of-7 from 3-point range, while Jamir Watkins added 15 points and Trae Young chipped in 11 points, six assists for the Wizards -- who dropped to 16-50 on the season.
The Celtics used a 17-2 run in the second quarter and never looked back limiting the Wizards to only 14 points, as they took a 64-41 advantage into the break and Queta had a season-high 22 points in the first half. The C's lead turned into 30 (the largest margin of the night) with four minutes remaining in the third period.
Despite Boston being up 93-72 and what was thought that the game was out of reach to start the final frame, the Wizards used a 13-4 spurt to cut the deficit to 12 with just over five minutes to play, before Tatum checked back in to stop the bleeding and the starters were subbed out with 1:33 left after pushing the lead back to up 17.
Tatum played a season-best 32 minutes, after being only capped to 27 minutes in each of the last three games he's played since returning from his injury.
Boston also took advantage of the Wizards' poor interior defense, outscoring them 54-30 in the paint -- which was mostly due to Queta and Garza both combining for 39 points.
"They're both different in their versatility," Joe Mazzulla said to reporters of Luka Garza and Neemias Queta. "They both can impact matchups. They both can impact coverages. You can play different coverages with them defensively. They both do a great job of playing off of each other, having an understanding that they need each other, and that our team needs both of them to be really good, and they both have an understanding of what each guy can do. When you have that, it's just part of being a good team. It's a credit to those guys for helping us be that."
The Celtics will host the Phoenix Suns (39-28) Monday night, when they continue their three-game homestand.
Joel Pavón
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