WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Celtics captured another victory to improve their record to 3-0 to start the young season, as they defeated the Washington Wizards 126-107.

It was a long night for the Wizards, who are expected to be towards the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Washington got off to a dismal start, trailing 42-19 after the first quarter.

Likely the most striking aspect of the contest was the lack of defense shown by the Wizards, as they allowed both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to get seemingly whatever they wanted, as the pair combined for 69 points on the night. Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday added 15 and 11, respectively.

The game wasn’t smooth all over, however, as Boston’s bench struggled towards the end of the game. According to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, in the final 10 minutes, the Celtics reserves were outscored 26-9, an unacceptable 17-point margin. It will be interesting to watch whether the members of the Celtics bench will improve their performance over time.

In their individual postgame press conferences, Tatum and Brown both harped on Boston’s constant struggles against lesser opponents in the past. After being asked about the team having a difficult time finding their rhythm in prior seasons, Tatum responded by saying “Some would say we learned from our mistakes from last year.” Accountability will be vital for the team this season with four all-star caliber players on the floor at once.

Brown was asked about the type of focus and mentality that the group needs to have going forward, and he described the difference that this year has, stating, “It’s tough being talented, because it invites laziness, it invites complacency…but that’s going to be our enemy this season, it’s going to be us versus us…our leaders on the team, we gotta make sure that we emphasize from the top to the bottom that we gotta run through the finish line.”

It’s absolutely welcoming to hear those remarks from the two pillars of the franchise in Tatum and Brown, especially after a blowout win. It’s clear that they’re both aware that the team might have let go of the rope in games similar to this one in past seasons. As Brown explained, it’s imperative for Boston to maintain that focused mentality for the long haul.

The Celtics head back home to TD Garden to face off against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.