BOSTON — Isaiah Thomas scored 29 points to lead the Celtics to a 115-105 win over Washington in the decisive Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Kelly Olynyk led an exceptional bench effort for the Celtics, scoring 26 points in his best career playoff performance.
Badly beaten on the boards early, the Celtics trailed the Wizards 55-53 at halftime, with Bradley Beal pacing Washington with 14 first-half points. Beal finished the night with 38 points.
A number of effort plays on the defensive end from Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown turned the momentum in the third quarter.
The Celtics put together a 13-3 run to end the third, highlighted by a pair of three-pointers from Isaiah Thomas and another from Marcus Smart to build an 85-79 lead after three.
Winners of 27 straight when leading through 36 minutes, the Celtics kept the pedal to the metal early in the fourth, forcing turnovers and converting them into points on the offensive end.
Boston took a commanding 94-81 lead only to see Washington respond with a 7-0 run to draw within six points with 8:56 to play in regulation.
Olynyk mesmerized the crowd with a barrage of baskets to seal his place in Celtics lore, putting the game out of reach and clinching the victory.
The Eastern Conference Finals begin Wednesday night when the Celtics host the Cavaliers in Game One.