BOSTON — Wednesday almost turned into fight night at TD Garden, and it wasn’t just because Floyd Mayweather Jr. was sitting courtside.
Following the Boston Celtics’ 117-108 victory against the Washington Wizards, five Boston police officers had to be stationed between the two locker rooms after a postgame altercation on the court spilled into the tunnel.
Forty-eight minutes of chippiness wasn’t enough for the two sides. Their bad blood boiled over after the final whistle, and Jae Crowder of the Celtics and John Wall of the Wizards were nose-to-nose, jawing in the middle of the court.
Crowder stuck a finger in Wall’s face and Wall responded with a light slap. Teammates on both sides got involved.
“I heard what was going on in the tunnel,” said Boston Coach Brad Stevens. “All I did was walk out there. There were only two guys that were walking in from the court from our team and I just said, ‘Get in the locker room.’ Then I talked to the team about what we represent and that’s it.”
Al Horford didn’t want to get into specifics, but shared the gist of Stevens’ message.
“I don’t think I’m supposed to discuss anything but it was just (to) keep our heads and we’re playing for bigger things,” Horford said.
Wizards forward Otto Porter pointed the finger at the Celtics.
“They’re a physical team. They try to play dirty,” Porter said. “They try to take you out of your game.”
Anyone in particular?
“Their whole team,” Porter said. “That’s just how they try to play.”
Isaiah Thomas adamantly brushed Porter’s notion aside.
“That’s not what the Celtics are about,” Thomas said. “We play hard. So if playing hard is dirty then I guess we are a dirty team. But there was no dirty play. I didn’t see none. It’s just a lot of chatter. That’s what guys do.”
MICKEY GETS FIRST NBA START
Jordan Mickey woke up to an unexpected text message Wednesday.
The missive was from Stevens, with instructions simply to call when he got out of bed. Mickey was puzzled but called.
Stevens wanted Mickey to hear his voice when he let him know he’d make his first career start. The Celtics were missing five players Wednesday night, and after playing 125 minutes in 25 NBA games, Mickey was thrown into the starting lineup.
“It’s big. It’s what everyone wants to do, wants to play for,” Mickey said.
It’s been a whirlwind January for the second-year forward, who was playing for the Maine Red Claws last week. On Wednesday, he finished with four points and a highlight-reel block on Markieff Morris.
Avery Bradley (Achilles), Jaylen Brown (ankle), James Young (ankle), Tyler Zeller (sinus infection) and Amir Johnson (ankle) all were held out of the game.
It was the third straight game Bradley has missed, but a return Friday night in Atlanta isn’t out of the question.
HORFORD RETURNS TO ATLANTA
Friday’s game against the Hawks also will mark Horford’s first trip to Atlanta since signing as a free agent with Boston last summer. He spent his first nine seasons in Atlanta, and while he downplayed the significance of returning, Thomas said the Celtics will bring their A-game for him.
“He’s the calm one in this room but at the same time you know those games are big,” Thomas said. “You want to play well, you want to beat your former team. But that’s our job. We’ve got to take care of business for him.”
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