Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics reacts during the second half of a game in the play-in tournament against the Washington Wizards at TD Garden on May 18, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images/AFP
Jayson Tatum scored 23 of his 50 points in the third quarter and the Boston Celtics punched their playoff ticket with a 118-100 victory over the Washington Wizards in an NBA play-in contest on Tuesday night.
Kemba Walker added 29 points as Boston, which had lost five of its final six regular-season games, claimed the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference bracket. The Celtics will meet the second-seeded Brooklyn Nets in a first-round matchup, with Game 1 set for Saturday night.
Washington will have one more chance to make the postseason when it hosts the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night. The winner of that contest will land the No. 8 seed and face the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the first round.
☘️ 50 POINTS
☘️ 32 in 2nd half
☘️ Celtics earn East #7 seed@jaytatum0's huge night guides the @celtics to #StateFarmPlayIn victory!#7 Celtics vs. #2 Nets – #NBAPlayoffs First Round Game 1 Saturday: 8pm/et on ABC pic.twitter.com/bHA0j4JNQD
— NBA (@NBA) May 19, 2021
Wizards star Bradley Beal amassed 22 points, nine rebounds and six assists while dealing with a hamstring injury. Russell Westbrook had 20 points, 14 rebounds and five assists but was just 6-of-18 shooting. Ish Smith recorded 17 points and eight rebounds for Washington.
Tristan Thompson added 12 points and 12 rebounds for Boston, which shot 39.6 percent, including 15 of 45 from 3-point range. Walker hit 6 of 14 from long distance and Tatum made 5 of 12.
Daniel Gafford scored 12 points for the Wizards, who made 43.5 percent of their shots but were just 3 of 21 from behind the arc.
Washington, which went 17-6 to finish the regular season, led 56-55 in the opening minute of the third quarter before the Celtics exploded with 14 straight points as part of a 19-2 burst.
Walker began the spurt with three consecutive 3-pointers and Tatum followed with a 16-footer and a 3-pointer to give Boston a 69-56 lead with 8:09 left.
Gafford scored on a tip-in to interrupt the run, but Tatum answered with a dunk and a 3-pointer as the Celtics took a 74-58 advantage with 7:13 remaining in the quarter.
Childhood friends @jaytatum0 and @RealDealBeal23 discuss playing against one another in the #StateFarmPlayIn. pic.twitter.com/0wzZo1gFdu
— NBA (@NBA) May 19, 2021
Tatum knocked down a 22-footer with 28.1 seconds left to cap his huge quarter and give Boston a 90-80 lead entering the final stanza.
Washington trailed by seven early in the fourth quarter, but Boston answered with a 15-4 spurt. Tatum capped the run with a 3-pointer to make it 106-88 with 5:32 left. Just 66 seconds later, Tatum hit two free throws to reach the 50-point mark and boost the lead to 110-90.
Walker hit back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 116-94 with 2:36 left.