Beal lifts Wizards in win over Celtics

BOSTON — Washington's talented guards made themselves at home at Boston's Christmas party.

Bradley Beal scored 25 points, John Wall had 21 points and 14 assists, and the Wizards beat Boston, 111-103, on Monday (Tuesday Manila time) in the Celtics' first Christmas Day home game in franchise history.

"For us to get a win, that was big time," Wall said. "Playing against a great team, one of the hottest teams in the league. They've been in a slump lately, but it's a team that we know we might have to battle later on, and to get a win it was great."

Otto Porter Jr. added 20 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. finished with 16, helping Washington take the first meeting between the teams since Boston's Game 7 victory at home in the second round of the playoffs last spring.

"I felt a little nostalgic out there," Oubre said. "It brought me back to the playoffs and all the good memories that we have in here. The fans chanting crazy stuff, it just brought me back to a place where you know it got me locked in man, like it was the playoffs, so it was a great atmosphere out there."

Eastern Conference-leading Boston lost for the third time in four games. Kyrie Irving and Jayson Tatum each scored 20 points for the Celtics, and Terry Rozier had 16.

The Celtics are 11-8 since opening the season 16-2.

"It hasn't been one of the best stretches for us, but we have a resilient group," Irving said. "That right there is enough for us to go on and make progress in the right direction."

Boston forward Al Horford thinks it's just a normal course of a season.

"You go through ups and downs in a season," he said. "Tonight, I felt good about our chances. We put ourselves in position to win the game and we weren't able to do it."

Boston opened a 95-90 lead on Irving's 3-pointer with 6:18 left, but the Wizards responded with a 12-0 run. Beal capped the spurt with a three-point play and a breakaway dunk off a turnover.

Wall added a layup and two free throws down the stretch to help Washington hold on.

Last season, the teams had a testy rivalry with lots of trash-talking and a few games filled with hard fouls. It was more civil on Monday, just a tight defensive game with numerous contested shots and a few hard screens.

The Wizards led by two at halftime and opened the third quarter by scoring 13 of the first 17 points, pulling ahead 65-54 on Marcin Gortat's three-point play. Gortat had 11 points and 10 rebounds.