Washington Wizards vs Boston Celtics: Predictions, Odds and Roster Notes

What: Washington Wizards at Boston Celtics

Where: TD Garden in Boston, MA

When: Friday, March 1st at 8:00 PM EST

How (TV/Radio): NBC Sports Washington, NBC Sports Boston | 98.5 The Sports Hub, 1500 AM

Washington Wizards (Away)

Head Coach: Scott Brooks {All-Time 454-315 | OKC, WAS}

The Washington Wizards are struggling to stay relevant in the Eastern Conference this year. With 22 games remaining, the Wizards have a record of 24-36 and are eleventh in the East. They’re blessed with an easier schedule than most, but that won’t fully propel them into the playoffs.

Unfortunately for the Washington Wizards, they have been shameful as of late. They are on a four-game losing streak before a surprising win over the Brooklyn Nets. Otherwise, they’ve been on a four-game and three-game losing streak within their last ten games.

The Wizards take on a Celtics team that is in dysfunction at the moment. While the Wizards don’t have the talent to keep up with the Celtics, the internal strife that Boston maintains is palpable. The Wizards put together an impressive shift against the Wizards and will look to carry that momentum into Boston.

Boston Celtics (Home)

Head Coach: Brad Stevens {All-Time 37-24 | BOS}

The Boston Celtics are spiraling out of control. Once considered the top team in the Eastern Conference, a team loaded with talent is struggling to show competitiveness on the court. With a record of 37-25, the Celtics are 2.5 games out of fourth place and are ten games back from first.

The Bucks are a tough opponent, it was a hiccup against the Bulls, they were embarrassed by the Raptors and now the Celtics failed in the second half against the Blazers. A four-game losing streak is what the Celtics own and there’s no clear way out of it for the team.

They are hosting one of their most famous rivals in the Washington Wizards on this night. The Wizards are a team lacking in talent and suffering from injury, but the Celtics can’t feel remorse. They are clearly the better side but haven’t shown much fight as of late. Pretty or ugly, the Celtics need to come up with a win.

What’s At Stake?

The Boston Celtics and the Washington Wizards have been rivals for a long time. In 82 games all-time, the Celtics lead the Wizards 49-33.

A win for the Wizards leaves them at eleventh in the Eastern Conference.

A win for the Boston Celtics brings them within 1.5 games of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Questions to answer

Have the Wizards found a new duo?

Have the Celtics defeated themselves?

We are going to compare the Washington Wizards and the Boston Celtics in an attempt to see who has the advantage in this matchup.

Bobby Portis and Thomas Bryant

For so many years Wizards fans and NBA fans have watched the Wizards try and fail every season to be a relevant force in the Eastern Conference. It seems the likes of the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics are always a step ahead, while the Indiana Pacers promote their growth internally in a way the Wizards do not.

While the loss of John Wall was massive, the development of center Thomas Bryant and new acquisition Bobby Portis has been wonderful. The two are promising young bigs that can guard multiple positions and are willing to shoot from deep. Perfect for today’s NBA.

Don’t discount their inherent positional abilities though. The two combined for 17 rebounds – not to mention Jabari Parker’s 14 – to help control the game on the glass in an impressive win against the Brooklyn Nets. They may not be ready to challenge for the title yet, but the Wizards may finally have some bright prospects in their midst.

What Is Going On In the Boston Locker Room?

It may be time to call it on the Boston Celtics. It seems Brad Stevens has lost the locker room. For all the drama that was disregarded as noise earlier in the season, the Celtics have failed to prove that it is nothing to worry about.

After an embarrassing loss to the Toronto Raptors, the Celtics were questioned by the media regarding their stance. Marcus Smart said the team is not together, Brad Stevens said that the team is taking too many shortcuts, and Kyrie Irving – their unquestioned leader – failed to back his coach or teammate.

The Celtics lost to the Portland Trail Blazers most recently in a scrappy performance that drew applause from the Boston crowd. Unfortunately that scrappiness is worth little in a loss, building blocks for a team that should’ve had it together by now. Attitude is one thing, but the Celtics have submitted to both the Raptors and Blazers in recent matches. It may very well be time to call it on their championship aspirations.

Washington Wizards Roster Notes

C Dwight Howard – 19 Feb 2019 – Out (Back) – Howard will start on-court work Wednesday (Feb 20) according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

G John Wall – 5 Feb 2019 – Out For Season (Left Achilles) – Wall now reportedly has a ruptured left Achilles and will be able to resume full basketball activities in 12 months, according to Candace Buckner of the Washington Post.

Boston Celtics Roster Notes

C Aron Baynes – 22 Feb 2019 – Out (Foot) – Baynes is slated to miss at least two more games (Feb. 23, Feb. 26), according to Brian Robb of the Boston Sports Journal.

G Brad Wanamaker – 26 Feb 2019 – Day To Day (Illness) – Wanamaker has been ruled OUT for Tuesday’s (Feb 26) game.

Head-to-Head: Bobby Portis (WAS) vs Marcus Morris (BOS)

Bobby Portis

Power Forward | 6-11, 250lb (211cm, 113kg) | Arlansas | Exp. 3 Years

14.5 PPG | 1.4 APG | 7.4 RPG | 0.7 SPG | 0.4 BPG | 1.4 TOV | .461 FG% | .408 3P%

Marcus Morris

Power Forward | 6-9, 235lb (206cm, 106kg) | Kansas | Exp. 7 Years

14.5 PPG | 1.4 APG | 6.1 RPG | 0.6 SPG | 0.3 BPG | 1.3 TOV | .470 FG% | .399 3P%

It will surely be a night for the stars between the Celtics and the Wizards. Despite that, the true test of their teams’ abilities will come from the contributions of two gritty role players in Bobby Portis and Marcus Morris. Both struggled from the field in their previous matches and are sure to strive for more efficiency in this match.

Bobby Portis has been an excellent pick up for the Wizards since the trade deadline. he’s an energy player with the size and skill to punish players from the block or from three. He’s performing better than ever before and is shooting a scorching 50% from three as a Wizard, on an impressive 4.3 attempts per game. Portis was off in his last match but is sure to rebound in this big matchup.

Marcus Morris is one of the Boston Celtics’ true enforcers. A tough defender with an offensive game that keeps opponents honest, Morris is almost a veteran version of his matchup Bobby Portis. In recent games, Morris has struggled from the field but on the season has been a beneficiary of Boston’s system. Should his shooting struggles continue, expect Morris to crash the boards in an attempt to contribute in other ways.

Washington Wizards at Boston Celtics Predictions and Odds

The odds makers have the Boston Celtics favoured over the Washington Wizards by 9, with an over/under of 110.