The Boston Celtics defeated the Washington Wizards, 132-129, at TD Garden on Friday night.

The Wizards (9-41) came into the night as unsurprisingly heavy underdogs, but they appeared to have a legitimate shot at an upset through a first half they emerged from with a 71-64 lead. However, the Celtics (39-12) appeared to have reasserted themselves for good during a masterful third period during which they forged a 36-13 advantage, but Washington was able to outpace Boston by a 45-33 margin in the final 12 minutes to make the final score very respectable.

Deni Avdija and Corey Kispert co-led the Wizards with matching 24-point, four-assist efforts while pulling down 11 and six rebounds, respectively. Bilal Coulibaly furnished 21 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. Jordan Poole supplied 19 points, five assists, two rebounds and one steal. Tyus Jones and Kyle Kuzma posted matching 17-point contributions while dishing out nine and five assists, respectively.

Jayson Tatum paced the Celtics with 35 points, complementing them with 10 rebounds, eight assists, two blocks and one steal. Kristaps Porzingis generated a 34-point, 11-rebound double-double. Jrue Holiday registered 20 points, seven rebounds, five assists and one steal. Jaylen Brown delivered 18 points, seven rebounds, three assists and one steal. Payton Pritchard managed 11 points, six rebounds and one assist.

The Wizards return home to host the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night, while the Celtics visit the Miami Heat on Sunday afternoon.