BOSTON – Nothing it seems can stop Isaiah Thomas this postseason – be it pains big or small.
The All-Star led the Celtics to a first-round win over Chicago in a haze after learning the day before the series began that his younger sister, Chyna Thomas, had died in a car accident outside of his native Tacoma, Washington.
That pain persisted on the eve of Boston’s second-round pairing with the Washington Wizards, when he flew cross-country to attend her funeral.
Then Sunday’s game brought the latest dose of adversity, when he had one of his front teeth dislodged after an early game collision. But as he’s done all postseason, he continued to find a way to push through it.
Thomas had 33 points and nine assists, and the Celtics made 19 3-pointers to beat the Wizards 123-111 and take a 1-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal matchup.
In Los Angeles, Gordon Hayward scored 26 points and the Utah Jazz eliminated the Los Angeles Clippers with a 104-91 victory, closing out the first-round series 4-3 to earn the franchise’s first postseason victory since 2010.
“We’ve been through some pretty hard downs,” said Hayward, a seven-year veteran. “It definitely feels really good to go from 25 wins to where we were this year making the playoffs, winning a series.”
George Hill and Derrick Favors added 17 points apiece for the Jazz in what proved to be the easiest game of the back-and-forth series.
The Jazz advanced to face top-seeded Golden State in the Western Conference semifinals. The Warriors swept Portland 4-0 and have been waiting since Wednesday to find out their next opponent.