Preview: Washington Wizards host Boston Celtics in final game of home stand
The Washington Wizards will look to build on their big win over Denver when they host the Boston Celtics.
Coming off their biggest win of the season, the Washington Wizards will look to get a second straight victory when they host the Boston Celtics at home.
After this game, they’ll head on a five-game road trip, so a win to send them off would be more than welcome by the Wizards. They’ll have a tough test against the Celtics, who own the second-best record in the East. They come to DC 25-8. The Wizards are 11-24.
It’s not yet sure if star guard Bradley Beal will play. He’s missed three of the last four games with leg soreness. For Boston, point guard Kemba Walker is also questionable with the flu. He’s missed two straight for the Celtics.
Washington Wizards to Watch
For the Washington Wizards, keep an eye on Ish Smith, who’s coming off a career-best 32 points and 8 assist game against the Nuggets. Even with Isaiah Thomas starting, he’ll likely play a majority of the minutes, as he’s taken well to running this offense in Beal’s absence.
Then there’s Isaiah Thomas, who’s always liable for a revenge game against the Celtics. He scored 18 points and dished 7 assists when these two teams last met. But coming off injury (he’s played just one game since returning), Thomas may not light it up on offense like he did the last time the Wizards played the Celtics.
Additionally, watch for Troy Brown Jr to continue his hot streak. He’s averaging 16.3 points and 9.3 points over the Wizards’ last three games. And he had another career-game against the Nuggets on Saturday, too.
It’ll also be interesting to see how two-way big man Anžejs Pasečņiks handles his matchup with Boston’s Enes Kanter. Pasečņiks put together his best game as an NBA talent against Denver with 13 points and 8 rebounds in just 22 minutes of play. He seems to be getting better with each and every game.
Boston Celtics to Watch
If Walker sits, then it’s hard to look anywhere other than at Boston’s young duo in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. In the three games, Kemba has missed this season, the duo is averaging a combined 42.6 points and 14.3 rebounds per game.
(And in those games, Boston is 3-0, fwiw).
Riding a two-game winning streak into Washington, these two are sure to put on a show against the Wizards thinned wing rotation.
Elsewhere, look for Gordon Hayward to continue getting his legs under him. He’s now six games returned from injury, and in that span is averaging 16.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists.
While the Wizards are sure feeling good coming off that performance against Denver, it’s going to take even more to contain this Celtics team, especially on the defensive end.