Jayson Tatum carried the Celtics to a 118-100 win over the Wizards in Tuesday night’s play-in game, scoring 50 points as Boston locked up the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. The All-Star forward shot 14 of 32 from the field and a perfect 17 of 17 from the free throw line.
“Be the best player on the floor — that’s what I told myself coming into this game,” Tatum told TNT’s Grant Hill during his postgame interview. “Do whatever it takes to win, and be the best player on the floor. And I felt like if I did that, we had a good chance of winning.”
Celtics guard Kemba Walker also stepped up in the victory with 29 points, a huge boost considering the team was missing Jaylen Brown, who will sit out the rest of the season with a wrist injury. Boston’s duo of Tatum and Walker played a level above Washington’s one-two punch of Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook (42 points combined on 16-of-34 shooting), particularly in the second half, when they outscored the Wizards (49-46) by themselves.
The Celtics will now face the Nets in the first round of the NBA playoffs, while the Wizards will battle the Pacers in the second play-in game for the No. 8 seed.
Sporting News provided live scoring updates and highlights from Celtics vs. Wizards on Tuesday. Check out all of the highlights you missed right here.
MORE: Explaining the NBA’s play-in tournament
Celtics vs. Wizards score
| Play-in game | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
| Celtics | 27 | 25 | 38 | 28 | 118 |
| Wizards | 21 | 33 | 26 | 20 | 100 |
Celtics vs. Wizards live updates, highlights from NBA play-in game
(All times Eastern)
Final: Celtics 118, Wizards 100
11:25 p.m. — No late drama in Boston, as the Celtics cruise to victory behind a superstar performance from Jayson Tatum.
11:15 p.m. — That’s a 50-burger for Jayson Tatum. He is determined to close this game out strong. The Celtics are holding a comfortable 16-point lead with just under four minutes remaining.
11:05 p.m. — The Wizards are running out of time. With seven minutes to go in the final frame, they trail by 12 points.
End of third quarter: Celtics 90, Wizards 80
10:50 p.m. — Wow. Jayson Tatum totaled 23 points in the third quarter, nearly matching the Wizards (26 points) by himself.
10:40 p.m. — Jayson Tatum is cooking. The All-Star forward is up to 31 points. The Wizards don’t have an answer for him.
10:30 p.m. — The Celtics announce that Robert Williams is out for the rest of the game. A tough loss for Boston, but the Celtics have been able to build a 13-point lead without him.
10:20 p.m. — Robert Williams is on the floor for the start of the second half but not moving particularly well.
Halftime: Wizards 54, Celtics 52
10:05 p.m. — Russell Westbrook closes the first half with a monster tip slam.
10 p.m. — And now Robert Williams is down. He is not looking good after awkwardly colliding with Jayson Tatum.
9:55 p.m. — Crisis averted for the Celtics. Marcus Smart is back in the game.
9:50 p.m. — Marcus Smart goes down with what appears to be a right ankle injury. He limps off the floor and is now doing some exercises alongside a trainer.
9:45 p.m. — The game’s leading scorer halfway through the second quarter is … Ish Smith? Yes, the backup point guard has 11 points.
9:40 p.m. — The most majestic play in basketball: A Robin Lopez hook shot.
End of first quarter: Celtics 27, Wizards 21
9:30 p.m. — A hot start for Boston. The Celtics hit five of their first 10 3-point attempts
9:15 p.m. — The Celtics jump out to an early 17-11 lead. Something to watch: Wizards forward Rui Hachimura has already picked up two fouls. It will be interesting to see how Washington coach Scott Brooks handles his minutes.
9 p.m. — And here we go. Wizards center Alex Len scores the first points of the game, and Celtics guard Evan Fournier answers with a 3-pointer.
8:50 p.m. — The Pacers finish off their destruction of the Hornets to advance to the next play-in game. The loser of the Celtics-Wizards game will face the Pacers on Thursday.
8:35 p.m. — Check out this Russell Westbrook outfit. That is a man ready to notch another triple-double.
8:25 p.m. — Good news for the Celtics: Robert Williams, who had been dealing with turf toe, is available for the play-in game.
Celtics vs. Wizards start time
- Start time: 9 p.m. ET
- TV channel: TNT
- Live stream: Watch TNT
Wizards vs. Celtics is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. ET on TNT. You can also live-stream the game via Watch TNT or the Watch TNT app.
NBA play-in tournament schedule
May 18
| Game (play-in) | Time (ET) | National TV |
| Hornets vs. Pacers | 6:30 p.m. | TNT |
| Wizards vs. Celtics | 9 p.m. | TNT |
May 19
| Game (play-in) | Time (ET) | National TV |
| Spurs vs. Grizzlies | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Warriors vs. Lakers | 10 p.m. | ESPN |
May 20
| Game (play-in) | Time (ET) | National TV |
| Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Loser | 8 p.m. | TNT |
May 21
| Game (play-in) | Time (ET) | National TV |
| Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Loser | TBD | ESPN |