Boston Celtics

Isaiah Thomas scores playoff-high 53 points to lead Celtics to epic Game 2 win

Published May. 3, 2017 2:52 a.m. ET

Andrew Lynch

The Washington Wizards picked on Isaiah Thomas for much of Game 2, but the Boston Celtics point guard emerged victorious.

Thomas scored 53 points, surpassing Russell Westbrook for the most points in a game this postseason, as the Celtics rallied back from multiple double-digit deficits to force overtime on the way to a 129-119 home win on Tuesday.

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Thomas had 29 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, making up for the Wizards roasting him in the first and third quarters on defense. Washington continually had John Wall post up the two-time All-Star, forcing the Celtics to send a soft double-team on most possessions. When Boston did double, Wall made the easy pass; when the Celtics tried to let Thomas guard Wall by himself, Wall was able to get to his spot with ease.

The Wizards point guard tallied 19 points and six assists in the first quarter while Thomas scored 15. But Boston flipped the script on defense and found some success hiding the 5-foot-9 Thomas on lesser players such as Kelly Oubre, while Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley redoubled their efforts to slow Wall, who finished the game with 40 points and 13 assists.

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Instead, it was Thomas' own offensive heroics that made the difference, as the Celtics claimed a 2-0 lead in this second-round playoff series.

Thomas is playing some of the best basketball of his NBA career just weeks after the tragic death of his younger sister, Chyna, who died in a car accident on April 15. Thomas attended Chyna's funeral Saturday, as did several members of the Celtics organization, including general manager Danny Ainge.

Tuesday would have been Chyna's 23rd birthday.

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“When I found out the news I wanted to give up and quit,” Thomas said at the funeral on Saturday. “And never in my life have I ever thought about quitting. I realized quitting isn’t an option. That’s the easy way out. I will keep going for my sister as I know she wouldn’t want me to stop. I love you Chyna and I miss you so much. And everything I do for the rest of my life will be for you. I love you, girl.”