By passing and not panicking, the Celtics defeated the Wizards, 116-108, at the MCI Center. The team looked more like the one that went on an 11-1 tear after Antoine Walker arrived. The Celtics played with composure that had been lacking in recent games. And as a reward for its effort, Boston stretched its Atlantic Division lead to 3 1/2 games over idle Philadelphia.
"I told the guys that this was what the playoffs is going to be like, this type of intensity, this type of crowd, being on the road with the other team making their run," said Paul Pierce (25 points). "We didn't get rattled. They took the lead and we kept playing our basketball. We moved the ball. We didn't play selfish. We got the ball to the open guy and kept being aggressive."
Back in the lineup for the first time since being placed on the injured list March 18 with right knee tendinitis, Antawn Jamison (30 points) capped a 10-0 fourth-quarter run with a driving layup on the break. The basket gave Washington the lead for the first time with 7 minutes 36 seconds remaining. It stayed a one-possession game until rookie Al Jefferson went to work, following an 8-foot hook shot with a trip to the line. After Raef LaFrentz missed a 3-pointer from the right corner with 3:30 remaining, Jefferson was in perfect position for the rebound. He grabbed the ball and got fouled. The pair of free throws stretched the Celtics' lead to a slightly more comfortable 5 points (103-98).
The Celtics proceeded to stretch their advantage from the line, another strange reversal given the way the Wizards used free throws to rally. On his way to a career-high-tying 43 points, Gilbert Arenas set a career high in free throws made (21) and attempted (25). Those numbers also represented a season-high for free throws made and attempted by a Celtics opponent. Washington made 48 trips to the line compared with 33 for Boston. The Celtics did not take a single free throw in the second quarter. They made up for it by going 17 for 17 from the line in the fourth.
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