Jared Sullinger scored 21 points, Isaiah Thomas had 16 points and eight assists and the Boston Celtics ended a three-game losing streak by beating the Washington Wizards 118-98 on Friday night.
Jae Crowder had 12 points and 10 rebounds, Kelly Olynyk added 19 points and Evan Turner scored 16 as the Celtics won for the first time since opening night with a dominant performance at home.
Boston outscored Washington 40-25 in the opening period and shot 61 percent in the first half while pulling away to a 23-point lead at halftime.
Bradley Beal led Washington with 24 points. John Wall, who fell into foul trouble early, finished with 13 points and eight assists.
The Celtics closed the first quarter on a 24-9 run and Washington never recovered. Boston finished with a 53-45 rebounding advantage and forced the Wizards into 24 turnovers.
Boston led 100-74 after the third quarter, opening the period by hitting its first six 3-pointers and quickly snuffing any attempts by the Wizards to make a significant run.
The crowd gave the Celtics a standing ovation with a 72-49 lead at halftime. Boston continued to push the tempo — and the lead — with a long-distance shooting display. Avery Bradley hit a pair of 3-pointers early in the third, Sullinger followed with two more from beyond-the-arc during an 11-3 run and Olynyk added consecutive 3s that put the Celtics up 92-71 with 3:52 left in the quarter.
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