The death bell hasn't rung yet for the Wizards, who needed some late-game magic to pull off a stunning Game 6 win over the Celtics on Friday.
Boston, which tried to get in Washington's head before the game by arriving in all-black clothes at the Verizon Center on Friday — obviously signifying funeral attire for the Wizards — fell just short of clinching the series, falling 92-91 after Isaiah Thomas failed to hit a go-ahead 3 in the waning seconds.
John Wall will go down as the hero of Game 6 after hitting a go-ahead 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds remaining to give the Wizards the permament lead. Wall had a game-high eight assists and added 26 points, while Bradley Beal had 33 points. Thomas led the Celtics with seven assists on the night, and also tied for a team-high 27 points with Avery Bradley.
NBA playoffs: Celtics vs. Wizards score, updates
But as well as the Celtics played on Friday, this game will be heading back to Boston for a Game 7. Perhaps this time the Celtics won't bother with the black clothes.
Below are updates from the game:
Celtics vs. Wizards, Game 6 results
8:43 p.m.: Washington took a 22-17 lead at the start of the second quarter, thanks in part to the Celtics' struggles shooting from the field. Boston completed only 4 of 17 shots, less than 25 percent. The Celtics went without a field goal for over five minutes.
8:50 p.m.: The Celtics manage to tie the game at 28, thanks 5-of-10 shooting in the second quarter.
9 p.m.: The Wizards take a 7-point lead after Markieff Morris gets a putback shot — just barely beating the shot clock. The Wizards are now on an 11-2 run against Boston.
9:08 p.m.: An Isaiah Thomas stems the bleeding for the Celtics, as his field goal brings the score to 40-33 Wizards. Thomas is 2 of 5 from the field, and 2 of 4 from 3-point land.
9:12 p.m.: In a complete turn of events, the Celtics have gone on a 10-0 run to tie the game at 40 with less than a minute remaining in the second quarter, punctuated by an Isaiah Crowd putback shot.
9:15 p.m.: Avery Bradley has capped the second-quarter comeback with a monster alleyoop slam, putting the Celtics up 42-41. The Celtics have shot 14 of 40 from the field, while the Wizards have shot 17 of 40.
9:38 p.m.: The Celtics are now on an 18-3 run, taking a 48-43 lead over the Wizards, their largest of the game. That's thanks, in part, to an emphatic slam from Al Horford before a timeout.
9:43 p.m.: The Wizards aren't done quite yet. A timely John Wall 3-point with 7:30 remaining in the third quarter ties the game at 50. It was only the Wizards' second 3-pointer off 16 attempts.
10:08 p.m.: Bradley Beal has given the Wizards a 69-68 lead in the fourth quarter on a nice drive to the lane. He leads the Wizards with 24 points.
10:22 p.m.: Isaiah Thomas is doing Isaiah Thomas things: namely, draining a 3 to give the Celtics an 80-79 lead with four minutes remaining.
10:30 p.m.: Thomas scores five consecutive points with less than two minutes remaining (incuding a 3-pointer) to give the Celtics an 87-82 lead. He now has a team-high 27 points.
10:34 p.m.: It's not over yet for the Wizards — not after Bradley Beal scored his first 3 of the game to bring the score to 87-85.
10:38 p.m.: Avery Bradley and Bradley Beal are doing everything to give their repsective teams the win — right now, the Celtics have possession with 14.1 seconds remaining with the game tied at 89. Will we see another overtime, a la Game 2?
10:41 p.m.: Al Harford, off the glass to give Boston the 91-89 lead! But Washington has 7.7 seconds left to move the ball upcourt and go for the tie ... or win.
10:42 p.m.: John Wall is a stone-cold killer. He drains a 3-pointer to give his team a lead with 3.5 seconds remaining. Boston has no timeouts left.
10:44 p.m.: And that's it! Isaiah Thomas' would-be buzzer-beater bounces harmlessly off the rim.
This one is going back to Boston for what hopes to be another fantastic finish in Game 7.
