JAYSON TATUM scored 32 of his 50 points in the second half, and the Boston Celtics rallied to beat the Washington Wizards 118-100 in the play-in round Tuesday night.

Kemba Walker added 29 points for Boston, which secured the seventh seed for the playoffs and a first-round matchup with second-seeded Brooklyn. That series opens Saturday.

Tatum has drawn criticism at times for his quiet leadership style. He said Tuesday’s performance was how he wants to lead.

“I know that my teammates, I’ve earned their respect. I’ve earned the respect of the guys I play against,” he said. “I believe in myself. That’s all that matters.”

The Celtics struggled down the stretch, dropping 10 of their final 15 games of the season. Coach Brad Stevens said having to respond was in line with a season in which they had to fight through multiple players being unavailable because of injuries and stints in the league’s health and safety protocols.

“We’ve been through a lot, so we’re hardened in a lot of ways,” Stevens said. “We’ve been backs against the wall for most of the year. ... It takes a lot of togetherness and it takes staying together through tough times.”

Washington hosts Indiana, which rolled over Charlotte in Tuesday’s other play-in game, for the eighth seed today. The winner of that game will face Philadelphia, the top seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Bradley Beal scored 22 points for the Wizards. Russell Westbrook added 20 points and 14 rebounds. Ish Smith had 17 points. But the Wizards struggled from deep all night long, going 3 for 21 from the 3-point line.

The Celtics played without second-leading scorer Jaylen Brown, who had season-ending wrist surgery last week.

(SD-Agencies)