Washington Wizards All-Star point guard John Wall had good words for Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens after they lost to the latter's team via a clutch basket from forward Jae Crowder last Saturday.
The basket gave the Celtics a 119–117 lead with just 3.9 seconds in the fourth quarter, still enough time for the Wizards to hoist a shot and tie the game or get the lead.
Wall rushed the length of the court and went for a layup over two defenders, but the ball did not go in as time expired.
Following the loss, which snapped a four-game winning streak for the Wizards, Wall praised Stevens.
"He's a hell of a coach, man. He's a young coach, but that's one hell of a coach that knows the game real well. Even at the end of the game, we lined up in different formation that he hadn't seen and he called out our play before I got the ball. I heard him calling it out," Wall told reporters, according to ESPN.
The 25-year-old point guard added, "He does a heck of a job calling stuff that you wouldn't expect. We all thought it would be a high pick-and-roll to Isaiah Thomas or an [isolation] and he ran a play we weren't expecting [on Crowder's winning layup]."
Despite a botched game-winner, Wall finished the game with a splendid performance, tallying 36 points, seven rebounds, 13 assists, seven steals, and one block in 44 minutes of action.
The loss to Boston dropped the Wizards to 19–20, 10th in the Eastern Conference standings and 9.5 games behind for the top spot held by the Cleveland Cavaliers (28–10).
Next for the Wizards is a continuation of a five-game home stand as they take on the Portland Trail Blazers today.
Meanwhile, the victory marked the Celtics' third consecutive win and are now at 22–19, for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference standings.
Stevens is currently in his third season with the Celtics, a team he guided to the playoffs last season in just his second year with the organization.
The Celtics will play the Dallas Mavericks today, Monday, for the second game of a three-game road trip.
