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The Celtics won in their two duels

Thomas is back for the hosts, he was the one most responsible for their wins in the last two duels against the Pacers who couldn't connect two wins in a month and a half

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Boston recovered from the unplanned loss to the 76ers the best way possible - by beating direct rivals in the fight for the second place of the East. They beat the Wizards 110-102 and are now 2.5 games ahead, and the leading Cavs are still within their reach, the Celtics being only two games behind.

After staying out for two games due to a knee injury, Isaiah Thomas is back on the floor and he proved right away what a big link he is in his team. He hit 25 points with nine rebounds and four assists.

- We knew it was going to be one of those games. With that team it's always going to be a physical game, always going to be trashing talking and thins like that. We're basketball players. We love it. We love that type of environment, but we've got to be smart about the things we do and we did a good job tonight - Thomas said.

Avery Bradley was right behind with 20 points and nine rebounds, and Crowder and Horford hit 16 points and nine rebounds each. Smart hit 10 points from the bench, and Olynik contributed with nine points and 11 rebounds.

The Celtics were up by 11 by the end of the first half, and even up by 20 at the beginning of the third quarter. They kept that advantage till the Wizards pressured them with two mini series, getting only six points down. But the end wasn't dramatic.

Now they've got to face the Pacers whom they've beaten in both their duels this season, and Thomas was the main scorer in both. The Pacers are fighting to get the best position possible for the playoffs. They're currently the sixth with two games advantage over the ninth Miami.

They played their last duel against the Jazz, and won 107-100. In a night when George shot the weak 6/20, Teague stepped up and hit 21 points with five rebounds and five assists. George managed to hit 19 points and added eight rebounds and five assists, while Turner and Miles hit 16 and 15 points respectively.

- We played well tonight, we played hard, we were a group out there. Defensively, I think we did a really good job - Teague said, and George added:

- It was time to win a ballgame. I would have been ashamed if we fought that hard, especially on a back-to-back where we've given all our energy, and lost a game late. 

It's interesting that the Pacers didn't manage to connect two wins in a row since the 7-game winning run. After that, they lost six games in a row, and then got a win and a defeat in turn in the next 13 games.