The Celtics head out on the road for their first game away from the TD Garden. The Celtics dominated the NY Knicks in their season opener at home on Tuesday. They will look to move to a perfect 2-0 on the season as they take on the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on Thursday. This is the Wizards season and home opener.
This is the first of 3 games between these two teams this season. They will meet again in Washington on November 22 and in Boston on April 6. The Celtics were 4-0 against the Wizards last season. They are 202-120 all time overall against the Wizards and they are 82-74 in games played in Washington. The Wizards were 14th in the East, with a 15-67 record last season.
In the off season, they added 3 first round picks from this year’s draft: 2nd pick Alex Sarr, 14th pick Carlton “Bub” Carrington, and 24th pick Kyshawn George. They also added Key veterans Jonas Valenciunas, former Celtic Malcolm Brogdon, Saddiq Bey, and Anthony Gill. They also traded Deni Avdija and lost Tyus Jones to free agency. The Celtics, as we know, are basically the same team as last year’s championship team.
I’m assuming the Celtics will start their usual lineup while the Wizards starting lineup comes from their game notes. Kristaps Porzingis remains out for the Celtics as he rehabs from off season ankle surgery. He is not expected to return until some time in December. Sam Hauser is also on the Celtics injury list due to lower back pain. He is listed as questionable.
For the Wizards, Saddiq Bey is out as he rehabs from a torn ACL that he suffered in March. He has not been cleared for contact and is likely months away from returning to game action. Former Celtic, Malcolm Brogdon is also listed on the Wizards injury list as out. He had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb and will likely be out until at least November 10.
Probable Celtics Starters
Celtics Reserves
Luke Kornet
Payton Pritchard
Neemias Queta
Baylor Scheierman
Jaden Springer
Xavier Tillman, Sr
Jordan Walsh
2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Anton Watson
Injuries/Out
Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) out
Sam Hauser (back) questionable
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Probable Wizards Starters
Wizards Reserves
Marvin Bagley III
Patrick Baldwin, Jr
Bub Carrington
Johnny Davis
Kyshawn George
Anthony Gill
Richaun Holmes
Corey Kispert
2-Way Players
Jared Butler
Justin Champagnie
Tristan Vukcevic
Injuries/Out
Saddiq Bey (knee) out
Malcolm Brogdon (thumb) out
Head Coach
Brian Keefe
Key Matchups
Jaylen Brown vs Kyle Kuzma
Kuzma was the Wizards leading scorer last season, averaging 22.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists last season. He shot 46.3% from the field and 33.6% from beyond the arc. In 22.9 minutes in the preseason, he averaged 9.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists while shooting 31.4% from the field and 19.2% from beyond the arc. With Jaylen Brown out to prove he belongs on the All Defense team, things aren’t going to be easy for Kuzma in this one.
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Jrue Holiday
Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images
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Jordan Poole
Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Jrue Holiday vs Jordan Poole
Last season, Poole averaged 17.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He shot 41.3% from the field and 32.6% from beyond the arc for the season. In 21.9 minutes in the preseason, he averaged 11.6 minutes, 1.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists while shooting 42% from the field and 25.9% from beyond the arc.
Honorable Mention
Al Horford vs Jonas Valanciunas
Last season, playing for the New Orleans Pelicans, Valanciunas averaged 12.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. He shot 55.9% from the field and 30.8% from beyond the arc. In 18 minutes in the preseason, he averaged 6.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists. He shot 44.4% from the field but did not hit any 3’s.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is always the key to winning. The Celtics won their championship last season with tough, physical defense. To repeat, they will need to once again make defense a priority. In the preseason, the Celtics were 12th with a defensive rating of 104.6 while the Wizards were 29th with a defensive rating of 113.2. In their first game of this season, they held the Knicks to 109 points. They need to continue to play physical defense.
Rebound – It’s important for the Celtics to rebound to give themselves extra possessions and to limit their opponents’ possessions. The Celtics out-rebounded the Knicks 40-34 in their first game. Much of rebounding is effort and hustle and when the Celtics give extra effort and hustle on the boards, it usually translates into the rest of their game. Each player needs to commit to crashing the boards and going after every rebound on both ends of the court.
Don’t Get Complacent – The Wizards were a bottom team last season and are likely to be at the bottom of the league this season also. The Celtics are coming off of an emotional ring ceremony and a game that they dominated, especially from the perimeter. They need to keep the mindset of the hunter and not let complacency seep in. They need to come out against the Wizards as if they are a top contender and not underestimate them.
3 Point Shooting – The Celtics tied the record for 3 pointers per game in their first game against the Knicks. They shot 47.5% for the game, but that included 13 straight misses to end the game as they tried to break the record. When they were shooting the 3’s in the flow of the game, they were hitting everything. But when they tried to force it to set the record, they couldn’t hit anything. They need to not try to force 3’s and continue to take the best shot. Also, if the 3’s aren’t falling in this game they need to abandon that strategy and take the ball inside.
X-Factors
On the Road – The Celtics are playing on the road after opening the season at home. They have to overcome the distractions that come with playing on the road like travel, staying in hotels, missing family, an unfamiliar building and a hostile crowd. They have to stay focused and not allow those distractions to take away from playing the game the right way.
Officiating -Officiating is always an x-factor in every game. Every crew officiates differently. Some call it tight, others let them play. Some favor the home team. Some favor the road team. Some just make bad, head scratching calls. The Celtics need to adjust to how the refs are calling the game and not allow bad calls or no calls to take away their focus from playing the game.
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