Boston Celtics vs Washington Wizards Prediction & Match Preview - October 30th, 2021 | NBA Season 2021-22
The Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards will clash for the second time in four days when they meet at the Capital One Arena in Washington on Saturday.
The Cs will look to avenge their loss to the Wizards on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Wizards beat the Atlanta Hawks after that Celtics win; the Celtics got a two-day break before flying to Washington DC.
Match Details
Fixture: Boston Celtics vs Washington Wizards | NBA Season 2021-22.
Date & Time: Saturday, October 30th; 5:00 PM ET (Sunday, October 31st; 2:30 AM IST).
Venue: Capital One Arena, Washington, DC.
Boston Celtics Preview
The Boston Celtics have dropped three of their five regular-season games thus far, making an uncharacteristically slow start. In their last outing, they were beaten by a new-look Washington Wizards 116-107 at home. The game saw the visitors shoot over 51% from the field.
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are averaging over 24 PPG across the first five matchups. However, the Celtics are finding it difficult to strike a consistent winning rhythm.
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Their defensive and offensive ratings are currently amongst the worst in the league. With teams like the Bulls, Hornets and Warriors running off to hot starts, the Celtics need to make adjustments to get back to winning ways.
Key Player - Jayson Tatum
After bagging back-to-back All-Star berths, Jayson Tatum is off to another red-hot start this season. The 23-year-old franchise cornerstone is averaging career-high numbers of 26.6 PPG. He has backed that up with eight rebounds, four assists and a block per game.
He has jacked up over 23 shots on average, but is still struggling to pull himself out of his shooting slump. Even with Brown set for a breakout year, Tatum is still Boston's go-to guy in crunch offensive situations.
Boston Celtics Predicted Lineup
G - Marcus Smart; G - Jaylen Brown; F - Jayson Tatum; F - Al Horford; C - Robert Williams III.
Washinton Wizards Preview
After beating the Boston Celtics in their own backyard, the Washington Wizards flew back home and stomped Trae Young and the Hawks on the second night of a back-to-back.
They have now won four of their first five games of the regular season, displaying a newfound resilience and hunger for winning. Bradley Beal's offensive prowess is now being efficiently backed up by new additions Montrezl Harrell, Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious-Caldwell Pope.
Can't stop watching this 😳
#DCAboveAll https://t.co/kwE6KuMa5b
With Daniel Gafford out injured, Harrell has reliably taken up center duties, dropping 25 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and two steals in the Hawks' win on Wednesday.
Key Player - Bradley Beal
Bradley Beal's scoring skills are unquestionable, and it seems like he has adjusted well to the Wizards' seismic roster changes during the offseason. The 28-year-old is coming off a career-best 31.3 PPG. But he seems to have taken a step back this season to accommodate the new scorers that have come in.
Beal is averaging 21.5 points, six boards, 4.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game to begin the campaign. More importantly, the shooting guard's on-court efforts are producing wins for the franchise.
Washington Wizards Predicted Lineup
G - Kentavious Caldwell Pope; G - Bradley Beal; F - Kyle Kuzma; F - Spencer Dinwiddie; C - Montrezl Harrell.
Celtics vs Wizards Match Prediction
Having bested the Celtics on the road, the Wizards are full of confidence at the start of the season. Expect the Celtics to put up a fight as they try to pull their offensive pieces together. However, the outcome will likely be in favor of Beal and the new-look Wizards.
Where to watch Celtics vs Wizards?
The NBA regular-season game between the Celtics and the Wizards will be televised locally on NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Boston. You can also live-stream this matchup via the NBA League Pass.