3 Things we learned from the Boston Celtics' emphatic win over the Washington Wizards | 2020-21 NBA Season

Earlier today, the Boston Celtics blazed their way into the NBA Playoffs after producing a 118-110 win over the Washington Wizards in their Play-In game.

The Boston Celtics were tipped to be contenders for the NBA Championship before the start of the season, but had an underwhelming campaign. Brad Stevens' side struggled with multiple injuries and mixed form of key players like Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker.

Meanwhile, Tristan Thompson returned to the bench after missing a number of games towards the end of the regular season. He finished with a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds against the Wizards as Washington star Bradley Beal looked some way off his best. Russell Westbrook also struggled and could not keep up with Jayson Tatum through most of the game.

Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum during the Boston Celtics' match against the Wizards.

3 things we learned from the Boston Celtics’ NBA Play-In win over the Washington Wizards

Jaylen Brown is out for the season, while Walker is back in the lineup after missing 7 of the Celtics’ last 11 regular-season matches. They will now take on the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the playoffs, a team that arguably has the best offense in the NBA this season.

Here are three things that we learned from the Celtics’ victory over the Washington Wizards.

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#1 Jayson Tatum leading from the front

The biggest superstars tend to come to the party when their team requires them the most. Tatum hasn’t had the best of seasons, as he was inconsistent and went missing against the big teams multiple times in the regular season.

However, some of his best-ever performances also came during the regular season this time around. Tatum produced a career-high performance of 60 points against the San Antonio Spurs, had 53 against the Minnesota Timberwolves and also produced 44 against the Warriors when he went up against Curry last month.

JT came ready to play tonight 🤯 pic.twitter.com/BL5ImNrNXZ

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 19, 2021

Against the Wizards, Tatum shot at over 43% from the 3-point line and came up with 50 points on 14-32 shooting. He also had a defensively active game and recorded 6 defensive rebounds along with 2 blocks and a steal.

While the Boston Celtics might not be able to make a run for the championship in the absence of Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum is perfectly capable of leading them on a playoff run. But the Brooklyn Nets pose a much sterner test for Tatum and co.

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#2 No respite from injuries for the Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics will argue that the constant injuries to key players throughout the season is the major reason for their underwhelming performances in the regular season. Kemba Walker missed around 30% of the matches while Jayson Tatum had issues with COVID-19.

Jaylen Brown’s injury means he is out for the season. The team also struggled with multiple absentees throughout the season due to safety and health-related protocols. Finally, Marcus Smart’s injury troubles have been there for all to see, as the shooting guard suffered yet another knock during the match against the Wizards.

Marcus Smart is headed to the locker room with an apparent leg injury. pic.twitter.com/jSKq2ylz4S

— ESPN (@espn) January 31, 2021

He was the second player, along with Robert Williams III, to go down in the second quarter for the Boston Celtics. While Smart returned and did not look like he was struggling, 23-year-old Robert Williams missed the last four matches of the regular season and now finds himself on the doubtful list for the Boston Celtics again.

Robert Williams was in some pretty serious pain after this collision with Jayson Tatum. pic.twitter.com/fRVl1zizXZ

— Chris Grenham (@chrisgrenham) May 19, 2021

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#3 Kemba Walker finds form at the perfect time

Apart from Jayson Tatum, Kemba Walker also had an impressive night against the Washington Wizards. Despite struggling with injuries for most of the season, Walker is averaging almost 30 points in his last five appearances and has not looked in better shooting form all season.

Jaylen Brown’s injury meant the Walker-Tatum duo had to shoulder the bulk of the offensive responsibility, and Walker did not disappoint against the Washington Wizards. He finished with 29 points and 7 rebounds and made 6 of his 14 three-point attempts.

Kemba Walker has struck form at just the right time for the Boston Celtics.

The Boston Celtics entered the second half trailing by 2 points but Tatum and Walker had other ideas. Kemba started the third quarter with three straight 3-pointers. Within 4 minutes of the restart, the Celtics had shot to a 13-point lead, something the Washington Wizards could not recover from.

Kemba Walker showing his best form of the season at just the right time might help the Boston Celtics embark on an unlikely run in the playoffs.