WASHINGTON: John Wall nailed a clutch three pointer with three seconds remaining to lift the Washington Wizards to a 92-91 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of their NBA playoff series.
Wall’s late game-winning shot sets up a deciding Game 7 on Monday with the winner advancing to the Eastern Conference final against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Wall said he was motivated Friday by some gamesmanship on behalf of the Celtic players, who decided to come to the Verizon Center arena wearing all black outfits.
“Don’t come into my city wearing all black talking about it is a funeral,” said Wall. “I got too much heart. I put in too much work.”
Wall’s heroics came after Al Horford’s jump shot with seven seconds left put the top-seeded Celtics ahead 91-89.
Washington’s Bradley Beal had 33 points and Wall scored 26 despite shooting nine of 25 from the field.
Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley each scored 27 points for the Celtics. Horford finished with 20 points.
The Wizards’ win continues a home court advantage pattern in the season series between the two teams. The teams have played 10 games this season with the home team winning each time.
The Wizards also exorcised some elimination-game demons by snapping a streak of seven straight elimination game losses at home.
Thomas scored five straight points to put Boston up 87-82 with 94 seconds remaining.
Washington countered with the help of a superb backcourt. Beal drained a shot from three point range and Wall tied the game by hitting two free throws with 41 seconds left.
Markieff Morris had 16 points and 11 rebounds for Washington.
“That was a heck of a basketball game between two teams playing very well,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said.
The Celtics won games one and two — the first playoff series between Washington and Boston since 1984 — by at least 10 points.
After the Wizards won games three and four by 27 and 19 points, respectively, the Celtics roared back with a dominating 123-101 victory in Boston on Wednesday.
Asked what it means to force a Game 7, Wall said, “It is my life. This is what I asked for, down 2-0 to win.”
In Game 6, Wall continued his trend of slow starts. The four-time All-Star missed 11 of 12 field goals Friday before hitting three in a row in the third. He scored 13 in the period as Washington entered the fourth trailing 69-66.
“He’s a winner. He plays to win,” said Wizards coach Scott Brooks of Wall. “He’s not worried about his stats, he’s worried about winning the game.”
After quieting talk of a funeral on Friday with his game winner, Wall hopes to put final nail in the Celtics’ coffin on Monday.
The winner of Game 7 will tip off in the NBA semifinal series Wednesday in Cleveland.
Wall nails game winner as Wizards force Game 7
Wall nails game winner as Wizards force Game 7
Archer dismisses Australian tailenders for a 5-wicket haul to keep England in the Ashes contest
ADELAIDE, Australia: Jofra Archer dismissed Mitchell Starc for a well-made 54 and No. 11 Nathan Lyon to restrict Australia to 371 on Thursday and complete a five-wicket haul to keep England in the Ashes contest.
Archer picked up the first wicket of the third test, two more in the first over after lunch later Wednesday and the last two on Day 2 after Australia resumed at 322 for eight.
Starc made it back-to-back half centuries to continue his run of form that has earned him player-of-the-match honors in Australia’s opening eight-wicket wins in Perth and Brisbane.
He was unbeaten on 33 overnight and quickly raced to his half-century, plundering four boundaries in the first 10 deliveries of the morning: two slashing cuts in the first over from Archer and two more to wayward deliveries from Brydon Carse.
Starc reached 50 with a single, hit the first ball of Archer’s next over to the boundary but then the England paceman bowled him with a delivery that angled in from around the stumps.
The last-wicket pair added 23 runs before Archer trapped Lyon lbw, leaving Scott Boland unbeaten on 14 from 21 deliveries.
Archer returned 5-53 from 20.2 overs for his fourth five-wicket haul in test cricket, and third in the Ashes.
Victory a must by England
England needs a victory in Adelaide to have any chance of reclaiming the Ashes in this five-test series. A good batting performance in hot conditions on Thursday will help the cause, particularly with the Australians in the field and the temperature forecast to get close to 40C on Day 2.
On Wednesday, Alex Carey posted a hometown hundred and Usman Khawaja scored 82 after he was recalled at the last minute to replace Steve Smith on the eve of his 39th birthday.
Carey’s 106 was slightly contentious after he survived a review for caught behind when he was on 72. England reviewed the initial not out decision but Carey survived as decision review technology showed a noise spike before the ball had reached his bat.
The technology’s operators, BBG, later conceded after play ended that an operator error was most likely.
“Given that Alex Carey admitted he had hit the ball in question, the only conclusion that can be drawn from this, is that the Snicko operator at the time must have selected the incorrect stump mic for audio processing,” BBG founder Warren Brennan said in a statement.
Before play on Day 2, the ICC match referee restored one review to England because of the error.
