Bradley scores 29, Celtics power past Wizards, 123-101

He could force shots more often, but he cares more about keeping Boston’s offense flowing. He finished with 29 points and had plenty of help from Al Horford (19) and Jae Crowder (18). Isaiah Thomas scored 29 of his playoff career-high 53 points in the fourth quarter and overtime and was the difference down the stretch.

Said Bradley: “Everyone was prepared and that is what it’s all about”.

“We’ve got a chance to win our home game and go to Game 7”, Wizards coach Scott Brooks said Thursday, anchoring his hope on home court in Friday’s must-win Game 6.

The Boston Celtics can advance to their first conference final since the 2011-12 season with a victory here. The Celtics did win a series clinching game 6 on the road already this postseason against Chicago in the first round.

The Celtics were able to close out a Bulls team that had lost Rajon Rondo and three straight games, but it certainly won’t be that easy this time around against a healthy Wizards team looking for payback and one more flight back to Boston.

Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) drives towards the rim as Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) defends him.

“The great start kind of got us going on both ends of the floor”, Bradley said. Thomas was able to free up Horford by setting screens.

The Celtics got on an early 16-0 run and never looked back.

At this point, I’m not really sure if the Wizards benefit more from a game where lots of calls are made or one where the referees try to swallow their whistles.

Celtics coach Brad Stevens acknowledged that they knew somebody else needed to step up with the Wizards game-planning so heavily for Thomas.

The Joint Powers Authority that controls the arena said Wednesday that the deal includes options that the team can exercise for up to three additional seasons in case the proposed move across the bay is delayed. Also, a home team has not won every game in a seven game series since 2008.

Bradley hit his last basket with 5:55 left in the third quarter and rested in the fourth. But Bradley Beal (4.6 to 1.6), Ian Mahinmi (6.3 to 3.4) and Marcin Gortat (2.5 to 1.8) also get worse away from home, indicating the problem is more than just the Celtics keeping the ball away from Wall. Thomas has averaged 20 points and eight assists on 38.9% shooting in those games. But I tend to think it was just another instance of the pattern of this series playing out. As long as he can continue to strike a balance between looking for his own shot and using the threat of his scoring to open up looks for others, the Celtics should be in good hands. The guard couldn’t miss in the first two quarters, draining 10-of-13 shots for 25 points. The home team is 0-10 in elimination games this postseason. Including the regular season, the Celtics have been blown out in all of their games played in D.C this season. He surpassed it in the first half. Last Wednesday, the Boston Celtics celebrated their ninth victory over the Wizards on their home court. Fans at TD Garden began the game chanting, “We want Oubre!” but that later changed to “F– you, Oubre!” We’re going to protect Oubre on our team.

Boston’s intensity and superior execution continued into the second quarter.

Hey, Bradley Beal, why does the host come out on top every time?