Isaiah Thomas Carries Celtics to Victory Over Wizards

Not even a soul ache or the loss of a tooth has slowed down Isaiah Thomas.

The star contributed 33 points and nine assists, and the Boston Celtics unleashed a storm of 19 three-pointers on Sunday to defeat the Washington Wizards 123-111, taking a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Thomas played one day after attending the funeral of his sister, who died in a car accident last month outside of Tacoma, Washington.

The Wizards had a strong start, leading 16-0 and establishing a 17-point advantage. But the Celtics woke up in the second half, while Thomas was out after receiving a blow to the mouth that cost him a tooth.

It was just another adversity in these playoffs for Thomas, who arrived in Boston early Sunday morning. On two occasions, the point guard had to travel across the country since the death of Chyna Thomas, one day before the Celtics were set to start their first-round series against Chicago.

"I woke up at 4 in the morning," Thomas said. "It's tough, but it's the playoffs, so there are no excuses. I decided to play and tried to give everything for my team."

Celtics' President of Basketball Operations, Danny Ainge, and assistant coach Jerome Allen also attended Thomas' sister's funeral.

And Thomas' teammates showed their support when he took the blow that knocked out his tooth. Without their stellar point guard, the Celtics dominated 13-2 to trim Washington's lead.

Then, the point guard found a way to keep playing and excel on the court.

Dominican Al Horford added 21 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists for Boston. Jae Crowder contributed 24 points.

Bradley Beal led Washington with 27 points, while John Wall had 20 points and 16 assists.

"They were a little more aggressive than us," Beal acknowledged. "Our defense failed a bit. We lacked intelligence and concentration."

Markieff Morris, one of Washington's starters, only played for 11 minutes. He left the game with a sprained left ankle after accidentally stepping on Horford.

This is a series between two teams that have a strong rivalry.

Boston swept all games last season, but the two teams split the four meetings this season, all highly intense.

Sunday's game was played at a frantic pace at times, with plenty of physical play under the boards.

After the initial surge from the Wizards, Thomas lost his tooth in a collision but kept playing. He found the tooth after a timeout was called, but missed the start of the second quarter while it was readjusted in the locker room.

Boston ended the third quarter with a 15-point lead, although a 9-0 run by the Wizards made the game closer.

The second game will be played on Tuesday in Boston.