WASHINGTON — When the turnover count hit 20, the Boston Celtics were in trouble. Now, the team that had been routing the NBA has lost two out of three games.
The Washington Wizards, overcoming a sloppy night of their own, rallied from a seven-point, fourth-quarter deficit and closed the game with a 15-4 run Saturday night for an 85-78 victory over the Celtics.
Both teams showed the aftereffects of tough games the night before.
Boston finished with 21 turnovers and had its lowest point total of the year. The Wizards had 20 turnovers and made only 2-of-18 3-pointers, but they outrebounded the Celtics 49-30, made 27-of-30 free throws and had the fortitude when it mattered — in the fourth quarter.
The momentum turned when Antonio Daniels made a 3-pointer with 1:51 remaining to give the Wizards a 75-74 lead, and Brendan Haywood forced the Celtics’ 20th turnover at the other end by getting his hands in the way of a bad pass by Kevin Garnett.
DeShawn Stevenson took advantage by drawing a foul while attempting a 3-pointer as the shot clock was about to expire — and making all three free throws.
Stevenson led the Wizards with 19 points. Caron Butler had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Antawn Jamison survived a 4-for-15 shooting night to score 10 points while grabbing 16 rebounds.
Garnett scored 19 points to lead the Celtics, who played without point guard Rajon Rondo. Rondo hurt his back during Friday’s win at New Jersey.
The Celtics had their 10-game road winning streak snapped, and the loss came only three days after a home loss to Charlotte.
Boston’s last road loss was Nov. 27 at Cleveland.
For the Wizards, it was their biggest win of the year, and it broke a pattern in which they had been beating the bottom teams and losing to the top ones. Washington hadn’t defeated a team with a winning record since Dec. 1.
