Washington Wizards vs. Boston Celtics Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 4/3/2022

Time: 1 p.m. ET

Venue: TD Garden, Boston, MA

Where to watch: NBC Sports Boston, NBC Sports Washington

DraftKings: Celtics -12.5

BetMGM: Celtics -12.5

Caesars: Celtics -12.5

Wizards: 34-43

Celtics: 48-30

The Boston Celtics are suddenly a storming contender in the Eastern Conference, one more notch up than what can be said than their constituents visiting them from our nation’s capital on Sunday, the Washington Wizards.

 

We shall give the pre-arranged props to the Wizards ahead of time for their actions because they did get an impressive victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday by the tune of 32 points. Kristaps Porzingis had 24 points in his first game against his former team since being traded to Washington on deadline day.

 

The story of the day, however, belonged to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and his team-high 35 points. He didn’t quite outscore Luka Doncic, but the rest of his teammates actually helped carry Washington to a win, something Dallas’ role players could not deliver to despite being a way better team and in the playoffs.

 

"We called up the huddle and I told him, 'KP, since they let you go, we're going to beat them up for you,'" Caldwell-Pope said. "That was the first thing I said to him, and we did exactly that."

 

The trade involving Porzingis, Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans is not over by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s clear that Dallas has won the trade for now and looks like a legitimate threat in the Western Conference. The jury will be out on the Wizards until Porzingis and Bradley Beal can play together. There’s no doubt Washington has young talent at its disposal with the likes of Rui Hachimura and Demi Avdija, not to mention a center tandem of Daniel Gafford and Thomas Bryant. This group is a bit away from getting back to playoff relevancy, and it'll be interesting to see how they approach it.

 

As for getting close to the level of their home opponents on Sunday, that might be a bit more of a stretch. The Celtics are making a run for the top seed in the Eastern Conference and are currently just a game-and-a-half back of the Miami Heat and sit a half-game behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the No. 2 spot.

 

Boston won for the first time in three games with a 128-123 home win over the Indiana Pacers on Friday. Jaylen Brown had 32 points, and Jayson Tatum was not far behind with 31. The Celtics’ superstar duo has carried them this far and they continue to be so good down the stretch. Even Al Horford was contributing with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

 

"Credit to them for making it tough on you," Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. "They're playing loose and free with nothing to lose right now. You can tell. At the same time, we're aiding them."

 

I think when we’re talking about the Celtics, the No. 1 thing we have to constantly bring up is are they great enough to win it all? We know they’re good, and we know the level that Brown and Tatum can play to. It’s about getting over that hump and trying to get to that next level. I feel like we’re well beyond that part and it should be happening soon. If Udoka can get that out of them come playoff time, there aren’t many teams that can beat Boston in a seven-game series. Looks like we’ll find out soon enough if this group is any better than a Brad Stevens-coached team.

The Wizards had a feel-good moment for their new teammate, but there’s no way they should be able to do it twice. The Celtics are such a deep team when operating at full capacity and I can’t want to see them against the likes of Milwaukee or Miami. Boston needs this win more than the Wizards do and this is the time of year where we notice that teams actually want to play for what they want, rather than just going with the motions. Celtics by 15

The Wizards are 43-43 ATS the last three years as a road underdog.

The Wizards are 11-3 ATS after winning four of their last five over the past three seasons.

The Wizards are 5-14 ATS off a home win this season.

The Celtics are 10-2 ATS after failing to cover in consecutive games.

The Celtics are 1-7 ATS this season as a favorite of 10 points or more.

PG: Tomas Satoransky

SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

SF: Corey Kispert

PF: Rui Hachimura

C: Kristaps Porzingis

PG: Marcus Smart

SG: Jaylen Brown

SF: Jayson Tatum

PF: Grant Williams

C: Al Horford

Wizards: Kyle Kuzma (knee, out), Bradley Beal (wrist, out)

Celtics: None

Points: Bradley Beal -- 23.2

Rebounds: Kyle Kuzma -- 8.5

Assists: Bradley Beal -- 6.6

Points: Jayson Tatum -- 27.1

Rebounds: Robert Williams -- 9.6

Assists: Marcus Smart -- 5.8