NBA: Boston Celtics beat Washington Wizards to secure play-off berth
Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 50 points as the Boston Celtics beat the Washington Wizards 118-100 to secure their place in the NBA play-offs.
Boston won the play-in contest on Tuesday to secure the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference play-offs.
They will meet the second-seeded Brooklyn Nets in the first round, with game one scheduled for Saturday.
Washington have one more chance to make the post-season when they host the Indiana Pacers on Thursday.
The winner will secure the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference play-offs and face the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the first round.
Washington led 56-55 in the opening minute of the third quarter before Boston, who lost five of their last six games in the regular season, scored 14 straight points during a 19-2 burst.
Tatum scored 23 of his 50 points in the third quarter while Kemba Walker added 29 points for the Celtics. Bradley Beal scored a team-high 22 for Washington.
The play-in tournament has been introduced on a one-year basis for the 2020-21 season, and will determine who takes the seventh and eighth seeded positions in each conference for the play-offs.
Agencies