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Jayson Tatum scored 35 points and sparked a third-quarter rally to help the NBA-leading Boston Celtics get their 40th win of the season, 133-129 over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
Kristaps Porzingis added 34 points and 11 rebounds, and Jrue Holiday finished with 20 points for the Celtics (40-12), who reached 40 victories the fastest in a season since the 2008-09 squad did it in 49 games. It was Tatum’s 20th game this season in which he scored 30 or more points.
“We are working on playing very intentional basketball,” said Jaylen Brown, who had 18 points. “It’s a full journey in a season. It’s going to be highs and lows. It’s going to be games where shots are not going in and through at all. We’ve got to stick together. And that’s what we’ve been doing.”
Deni Avdija had 24 points and 11 rebounds, and Corey Kispert also scored 24 for the Wizards, who have lost five straight. Bilal Coulibaly finished with 21 points.
The Wizards stayed in it for most of the night, going 20 of 47 from the 3-point line.
