The Washington Wizards will be looking for another strong performance on the defensive end of the court when they face the visiting Boston Celtics on Monday night.
Washington dropped a 143-120 decision to Indiana in its opener Wednesday, but the Wizards were much better defensively during Saturday’s 113-106 victory over Memphis. The Grizzlies turned the ball over 18 times in the loss.
Washington center Daniel Gafford, who had 10 points and 11 rebounds in 28 minutes against Memphis, received the defensive player-of-the-game belt Unseld hands out after each win. The Wizards also received a strong defensive effort from Deni Avdija, who forced an eight-second violation when he pressured Desmond Bane in the second quarter.
Washington’s Jordan Poole had a game-high 27 points against the Grizzlies. Kyle Kuzma scored 21 despite missing nine of his 10 shots from 3-point range. Kuzma, who scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, also had 13 rebounds.
Boston will be seeking its third straight victory to open the season. The Celtics earned a 108-104 win at New York on Wednesday and beat Miami 119-111 on Friday night at Boston.
Derrick White led the Celtics by scoring 28 points against Miami. White made five of his seven 3-point attempts.
Each of Boston’s five starters scored at least 17 points against Miami. Jaylen Brown had 27, Jayson Tatum finished with 22 and Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis each tossed in 17. Porzingis, a 7-foot-3 center who the Celtics acquired from the Wizards as part of a three-team trade in the offseason, is averaging 23.5 points in his two games with Boston. He scored 30 points in Boston’s victory over New York.
