by Chuck Sommers
Tuesday, Oct 26, 2021
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: TD Garden, Boston, MA
Where to watch: NBC Sports Boston, NBC Sports Washington
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Celtics -4.5; O/U 226.5
WynnBet: Celtics -4.5; O/U 227
Caesars: NL
Season record
Wizards: 2-1
Celtics: 2-2
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Wizards - Celtics preview and analysis
Recent form
Wizards: lost 104-90 at Nets on Monday
Celtics: won 140-129 (2OT) at Hornets on Monday
Reports of the Boston Celtics’ demise might be premature.
Says Jaylen Brown as he snatched Miles Bridges’ soul on Monday, probably.
The Celtics needed overtime to overcome what was an exciting game against the Charlotte Hornets, but Jayson Tatum’s 41 points was enough to give the Celtics an 11-point win over the upstart Charlotte club.
Boston returns home for what’s to be an entertaining matchup against the Washington Wizards in a subtle reminder that maybe Boston isn’t cooked as of yet.
Much has been talked about the Boston defense, how it’s taken a hit now under new head coach Ime Udoka instead of Brad Stevens, but little we forget that the Celtics can score. There’s Tatum doing what he does, and then Jaylen Brown pouring in 30 against Charlotte and 46 against the New York Knicks three games prior.
This Boston team, when hot, can be one of the more dangerous offensive groups in the league just based on those two alone.
“It just showed that we have some fight in us, some toughness,” said Tatum after Boston trailed by 12 in the fourth quarter. “Whatever was going our way, wasn't going our way, we had to figure it out."
Outside of Tatum and Brown combining for 71 points, Dennis Schroder was the only one th put in some offensive contributions with 23 points, six rebounds and eight assists. Robert Williams III chipped in with a double-double of 12 points and 16 rebounds to go with three blocks.
Marcus Smart, forever longing for a consistent jumper, had only seven points on 3 of 12 shooting and 1 of 9 from behind the 3-point line.
If there’s one problem with Boston it’s the depth outside of their two stars. That’s one of the things the Celtics have needed to address since deciding to trade away Kemba Walker. But by moving away from Walker, the Celtics assured teams that they will be pests to guard, or even run an offense through, at 1-5.
“They are tough, physical and they do this to most teams in the half court,” Hornets coach James Borrego said of the Celtics. “They are long, they are physical, they switch out.”
The Wizards, off to a solid 2-1 start, are coming off their first loss of the season at 14 points to the Brooklyn Nets. Washington had a balanced scoring night with six players in double figures -- led by 19 from Bradley Beal -- but no one had the Kevin Durant-type game to take over. Durant finished with 25 points and eight rebounds, while the Wizards shot 34.7 percent from the floor.
Beal had the game-high 19, but took 22 shots to get there and was 3 of 13 from 3-point range. Kyle Kuzma had only six points on 3 of 11 shooting, and Spencer Dinwiddie was held to 10 points on 3 of 13.
"I liked the looks and I was definitely confident in them," Beal said. "You guys know, I'll be good, I'll bounce back. But I definitely have to be better for my team in all aspects and I think me attacking the basket would have been a little bit better. I could have gotten to the line and put us in the bonus, create some opportunities for other teammates, too."
That part about attacking the basket would benefit the Wizards. As a team, they combined to make nine of their 39 3-point attempts. Even without Russell Westbrook anymore, the Wizards are still in a work-in-progress outside of creation. Dinwiddie had six assists, but his scoring is just as important as his playmaking abilities.
Prediction
No one wants to jinx anything, but this could be a sneaky postseason matchup in the Eastern Conference should Washington get things together. Coming back home, I like the Celtics to keep things rolling after that tough battle in Charlotte. Look for Brown to take over the scoring load in this one. Celtics by 10
Betting trends
The Wizards are 14-6 ATS in their last 20 when they score less than 100 points the previous game.
The Wizards are 3-0 straight up in games after shooting 35 percent or worse the previous night.
The Celtics are 27-10 ATS in the last three seasons after playing two consecutive road games.
Projected starting lineup
Wizards:
PG: Spencer Dinwiddie
SG: Bradley Beal
SF: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
PF: Kyle Kuzma
C: Daniel Gafford
SF: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
PF: Kyle Kuzma
C: Daniel Gafford
Celtics:
PG: Marcus Smart
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Al Horford
C: Robert Williams III
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Al Horford
C: Robert Williams III
Key Injuries
Wizards: PF Rui Hachimura (conditioning, out)
Celtics: PF Al Horford (day to day)
Statistical leaders
Wizards:
Points: Bradley Beal -- 21.0
Rebounds: Kyle Kuzma -- 13.0
Assists: Spencer Dinwiddie -- 7.0
Blocks: Daniel Gafford -- 2.0
Steals: Raul Neto -- 2.3
Celtics:
Points: Jaylen Brown -- 28.3
Rebounds: Robert Williams III -- 8.8
Assists: Dennis Schroder -- 6.2
Blocks: Robert Williams III -- 3.0
Steals: Marcus Smart -- 2.5
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
