The Celtics visit the Washington Wizards for the 3rd of 4 meetings this season. The Celtics won the first meeting 126-107 in Washington on October 30. They won the second meeting 133-129 in Boston on February 9. They will meet one more time in Boston on April 14. The Celtics won the series 2-1 last season, winning 2 in Boston and losing 1 in Washington.
The Celtics are 200-120 overall all time and they are 81-74 all time in games played in Washington. The Wizards are playing on the second night of back to back games, having lost at Chicago on Saturday night. The Wizards are 0-11 on the second night of back to back games. The Celtics are playing on the first night of back to back games. They are 10-1 on the first night of back to back games and they are 4-1 when that first game is on the road.
The Celtics remain 1st in the East, 9.5 games ahead of 2nd place Milwaukee, 10.5 games ahead of 3rd place Cleveland, 13 games ahead of 4th place New York, 13.5 games ahead of 5th place Orlando, and 15 games ahead of 6th place Indiana. They are 22-11 on the road and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are 33-7 against Eastern Conference teams and have won their last 4 games.
The Wizards are 15th in the East. They are 1 game behind 14th place Detroit, 5.5 games behind 13th place Charlotte, 11.5 games behind 12th place Toronto and 15 games behind 11th place Brooklyn. They are `8 games behind Atlanta in the 10th and final play in spot. They are 4-26 at home and 2-8 in their last 10 games. They are 8-33 against Eastern Conference teams and have lost their last 2 games.
The Celtics just finished a 5 game road trip where they went 3-2. They played one game at home against the Suns and are on the road for just this one game before returning home to face Detroit and Milwaukee. They then head out on a 6 game road trip through Detroit, Chicago, 2 games in Atlanta, New Orleans and Charlotte. They will return home for 3 games against Oklahoma City, Sacramento, and Portland. Then it’s one game in Milwaukee before finishing the season at home against New York, Charlotte and Washington.
Kristaps Porzingis will miss his 5th straight game with a strained hamstring. He is considered day to day. Derrick White is out with a left hand sprain. Jaylen Brown is out for this game with an ankle sprain. Jayson Tatum was listed as questionable with an ankle impingement but is now listed as available. Al Horford is likely to start in Porzingis’ place. I’m going to guess that Sam Hauser will start in Brown’s place. I’m not sure who will start in White’s place, possibly Brissett or Pritchard. Pritchard got the start against the Jazz so I’m going to guess Brissett starts this one.
For the Wizards, Marvin Bagley III has missed the last 6 games with back spasms and is out for this game. Landry Shamet has missed the last 3 games with a calf injury and is out for this game. Tyus Jones is out with lower back spasms after missing Saturday’s game. Deni Avdija was a late scratch on Saturday and is doubtful with a right knee contusion. Tristan Vukcevic was recently signed but hadn’t reported to the team as of Saturday. Isaiah Livers is out with a hip injury. Kyle Kuzma was a late addition and is questionable with a shoulder injury. I really have no idea who they will start if Kuzma can’t play.
Probable Celtics Starters
Celtics Reserves
Luke Kornet
Svi Mykhailiuk
Jordan Walsh
Xavier Tillman
Jaden Springer
2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Neemias Queta
Injuries/Out
Derrick White (hand) out
Kristaps Porzingis (hamstring) out
Jaylen Brown (ankle) out
Jayson Tatum (ankle) available
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Probable Wizards Starters
Wizards Reserves
Patrick Baldwin
Johnny Davis
Anthony Gill
Eugene Omoruyi
Two Way Players
Jared Butler
Justin Champagnie
Jules Bernard
Injuries/Out
Marvin Bagley III (back) out
Landry Shamet (calf) out
Tristan Vukcevic (not injury related) questionable
Tyus Jones (back) out
Deni Avdija (knee) doubtful
Kyle Kuzma (shoulder) questionable
Isaiah Livers (hip) out
Head Coach
Brian Keefe (interim)
Key Matchups
Jayson Tatum vs Kyle Kuzma
Kuzma is averaging 22.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists. He is shooting 46.5% from the field and 33.6% from beyond the arc. In the last game against the Celtics he finished with 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists. He is the Wizards best player and so slowing him down would go a long way toward getting a win.
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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
Poole is averaging 16.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He is shooting 40.7% from the field and 31.9% from beyond the arc. In the last game against the Celtics he finished with 19 points, 2 rebounds and 5 assists. If Tyus Jones is able to play, he should return to the starting lineup.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is always a key to winning. The Celtics have a defensive rating of 110.4 (2nd) while the Wizards have a defensive rating of 119.4 (30th). The Wizards are 16th, scoring 114.2 points per game. They shoot 35.1 three pointers per game (14th) but are just 29th in 3 point percentage. They are 3rd with 55.1 points in the paint and so the Celtics have to defend them in the paint and at the basket.
Rebound – It’s important for teams to rebound to give themselves extra possessions and to limit their opponents’ possessions. The Celtics are 1st with 46.9 rebounds per game while the Wizards are 30th with 40.6 rebounds per 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.
Stay Focused – The Celtics have to stay focused. They have to stay focused on playing the right way, taking and making good shots, playing good defense, boxing out and rebounding, and on having each other’s backs and trusting each other. They also have to focus on making good passes and taking care of the ball. The Wizards are 4th with 17.7 points off turnovers per game and they are 2nd with 18 fast break points per game. If the Celtics lose focus and get sloppy, the Wizards will make them pay.
Don’t Get Complacent – They are first in the league, 9.5 games ahead of the 2nd place Bucks. They are playing a bad Wizards team with several players out. The Celtics need to come out ready to play their best and not play down to a short handed Wizards team thinking they can coast to a win without giving a strong team effort. If one or more of the Celtics starters sit, then the reserves who replace them need to up their game to make up for playing short handed. The Wizards led the last game at Boston by as many as 8 points and pulled to within 4 points in the last minute. The Celtics can’t take this team for granted if they hope to win.
X-Factors
On the Road vs Back to Back – The Celtics are once again playing on the road. 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. The Wizards are playing on the second night of back to back games and had to travel after their Saturday game in Chicago which may affect the Wizards effort.
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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