The Washington Wizards hit the road and face the streaking Boston Celtics on 11/13/19 at the TD Garden.
Washington has lost back to back games and has dropped five out of their last six games to fall to 2-6 SU on the season. Boston is the hottest team in the association right now. The Celtics have won eight straight games after losing their opening game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Boston currently has the best record in the entire NBA and the Celtics are hoping to stay there for now. The Wizards are near the bottom and are looking to move up in the ladder.
The Washington Wizards are struggling to start the season. With John Wall out for the entire season with an injury, Washington has won just two out of their first eight games played and is currently in 14th place in the Eastern Conference. Bradley Beal has carried the load but he hasn’t gotten enough support, especially on the defensive end, to get Washington victories.
Beal is averaging 26.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Big man Thomas Bryant is having his best year ever at 14.8 points and 9.6 rebounds while rookie Rai Hachimura is putting up 13.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per outing. The Wizards are 1-4 SU in their last five games and have allowed an average of 124.6 points per game during that period.
Washington is ranked 10th in scoring at 113.4 points per game this season. The Wizards are 24th in rebounding at 43.8 boards per contest and are 6th in passing at 25.8 assists per game this season. Defensively, Washington is allowing 117.5 points per game this season which is the sixth-most in the league.
The Boston Celtics are the hottest team in the league right now. After losing to the Sixers on opening night, Boston has racked up eight straight victories. The Celtics have the best record in the East right now at 8-1 and are looking to solidify their lead with a win over the struggling Wizards.
Boston defeated Dallas 116-106 in their last outing despite playing without Gordon Hayward who is out with a hand fracture. Kemba Walker had 29 points while Jaylen Brown posted a double-double for the Celtics who survived despite Jayson Tatum shooting 1-18 from the floor. The Celtics also Enes Kanter’s return to action against the Mavs.
The Celtics rank 9th in scoring at 113.4 points per game this season. Boston is 13th off the glass at 46.4 rebounds per contest and is also 17th in passing at 23.9 assists per game. The C’s have the fifth-best scoring defense in the league at 104.0 points per game allowed this season.
The Wizards are 1-5 SU in their last six games played and Washington is 1-4 SU in their last five games played on the road. The Celtics are 8-0 SU in their last eight games played. Boston is 4-1 SU in their last five games played at home. Head to head, the Celtics are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played and Boston is also 6-0 SU in their last six games as NBA betting favorites.
Washington has lost two in a row and in their last game, they scored only 100 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Wizards also allowed the Cavs to take 29 free throws. Bradley Beal struggled against the Cavs, shooting just 8-21 from the floor. With Marcus Smart on the opposing side on Wednesday, he’s going to have a tougher time here.
The Celtics will be without Gordon Hayward for at least six weeks due to a hand fracture. But with Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown playing terrific basketball right now, Boston is still in good shape. Tatum had a rough night against Dallas and I expect him to bounce back in a home game like this.
Marcus Smart should take care of Bradley Beal on the defensive end and the Wizards’ offensive struggles are likely going to continue here. I expect the law of averages to catch up with the Celtics soon. However, I don’t see the Wizards as the team that ends that run, not on the road.
PREDICTION: BOSTON CELTICS
Washington is 5-3 ATS in eight games played this season. The Wizards are 1-2-1 ATS in their last four games played on the road and 1-8 ATS in their last nine games against the Eastern Conference. Boston is 6-1-1 ATS in their last eight games played. The Celtics are 3-1 ATS in four road games played this season and 5-1-1 ATS in their last seven games played in November. Head to head, the Celtics are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Wizards. Boston is also 1-11 ATS in their last 12 home games against Washington.
The Celtics have outscored the Wizards by 3.8 points per game in their last 10 meetings and 7.33 points per game in their last three head to head encounters. The Celtics lost Gordon Hayward to a hand fracture and Hayward was having a fantastic start to the season. But in their last game against the Mavericks, his absence was hardly felt with the likes of Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Kemba Walker having big games. I expect more of the same here. Washington cannot match Boston’s firepower here. The Wizards are 10-26 ATS in their last 36 home games against an opponent with a winning record.
PREDICTION: CELTICS -9.5
The under is 4-3-1 in the eight games played by the Wizards this season. Washington has seen the total go under in two out of their four games played on the road this season. The total has gone over in eight out of the last 11 games played by the Wizards against the Atlantic Division. The total has gone under in five out of the last nine games played by the Celtics. Boston has seen the total go under in four out of their last five games against the Eastern Conference. Head to head, the over is 8-2 in the last 10 games between the Wizards and Celtics.
These teams have combined to score 211.5 points per game in their last 10 meetings and 236 points per game in their last three games played. The Raptors averaged 114.4 points per game last season. Although they lost Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, they have added the likes of Stanley Johnson and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to help fill the statistical void. OG Anunoby will also be returning so scoring won’t be an issue. The Pelicans are scoring over 120 points per game so far and although it’s just the preseason, it’s an indication of what they are capable of. The opening line here was set at 227.5 points and I’m expecting these teams to score a combined 230 points. Any total under 230 would be ok with me.
PREDICTION: UNDER 228
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
