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The Washington Wizards will lock horns with the Boston Celtics on Sunday at the TD Garden in an enticing 2020-21 NBA matchup.
The Boston Celtics broke their 3-game skid with a 118-112 win against the Indiana Pacers in their previous outing. Kemba Walker scored 32 points to help the Boston arrest their recent slide to bring his team back into playoff contention.
Meanwhile, the Washington Wizards beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 128-112 on Saturday to inch a step closer to the playoffs. Bradley Beal, the league’s leading scorer, produced 34 points with eight rebounds and six assists, while Russell Westbrook had another triple-double, bagging 19 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists.
Match Details
Fixture - Washington Wizards vs Boston Celtics | 2020-21 NBA Season.
Date & Time - Sunday, February 28th; 7:00 PM ET (Monday, March 1st; 5:30 AM IST).
Venue - TD Garden, Boston, MA.
Washington Wizards Preview
The Washington Wizards have won eight of their last 11 games, which includes wins in their last two outings. They will fancy their chances against the Boston Celtics, who have been struggling in recent weeks.
Despite the Boston Celtics featuring All-Star wings in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, the Washington Wizards will derive confidence from their previous meeting with the Celtics, where they held Tatum to only six points on 3-of-14 shooting from the field.
Key Player - Russell Westbrook
The Washington Wizards’ recent string of success can be directly attributed to the improved performances of Russell Westbrook.
The former MVP is nearly averaging a triple-double this season, something he accomplished for three straight seasons when he was playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In the Washington Wizards’ last 11 games, Westbrook has averaged 18.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 9.9 assists per game. He needs to keep up his aggressive play, especially against Kemba Walker of the Boston Celtics.
Washington Wizards Predicted Lineup
G Russell Westbrook, G Bradley Beal, F Garrison Matthews, F Rui Hachimura, C Moritz Wagner.
Boston Celtics Preview
The Boston Celtics have looked like a pale shadow of the team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season.
They have been massively underperforming this campaign, winning just five of their last 14 games. Marcus Smart, their defensive anchor on the wings, has missed 15 straight games and still isn’t close to playing yet. However, his absence shouldn’t have resulted in such a steep slump for the Boston Celtics.
Coach Brad Stevens will look to draw confidence from their game-plan against the Indiana Pacers and employ the same against the Washington Wizards. The Boston Celtics will also look for a measure of revenge against the team that beat them 91-104 two weeks ago.
Key Player - Kemba Walker
Kemba Walker had his best game since returning from a knee injury that derailed the start of his season.
Fans had been clamoring for the Boston Celtics to trade Walker, but that seems like a premature reaction for a player who came off the injured list just a month ago.
Though Walker has not played as well as he usually does, his performance against the Indiana Pacers is a reminder of what he can accomplish for the Boston Celtics when he’s healthy.
The Boston Celtics guard will go head to head with Russell Westbrook in a matchup of former All-Star point guards who are trying to return to the league’s elite.
Boston Celtics Predicted Lineup
G Kemba Walker, G Jaylen Brown, F Jayson Tatum, F Tristan Thompson, C Daniel Theis.
Wizards vs Celtics Match Prediction
In any given season, it’s easy to pick the Boston Celtics over the Washington Wizards. But this has been an unusual season for two teams, as they are heading in opposite directions recently.
The Boston Celtics’ mystique has been missing so far, which they are trying to regain before the All-Star break. Whether they can achieve that remains to be seen, though. What’s clear, however, is how well the Washington Wizards have been playing of late, and they appear to be the superior team heading into the Sunday match.
Unless the Celtics find any sort of rhythm and consistency, the Washington Wizards are expected to leave Massachusetts with a win.
Where to watch Wizards vs Celtics?
The game featuring the Washington Wizards and Boston Celtics will be shown locally on NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Boston. The game will be live-streamed on the NBA League Pass too.
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