BOSTON CELTICS (43-23) at WASHINGTON WIZARDS (16-49)
Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA
Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub
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Baylor Scheierman – PROBABLE – (right ankle sprain)
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John Tonje – QUESTIONABLE (G League, two-way)
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Nikola Vucevic – OUT (right ring finger fracture)
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Derrick White – PROBABLE (right knee contusion)
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Sharife Cooper – QUESTIONABLE (right ankle, foot sprain)
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Anthony Davis – OUT (left finger sprain)
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Kyshawn George – OUT (left elbow sprain)
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D’Angelo Russell – OUT (not with team)
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Cam Whitmore – OUT (right shoulder deep vein thrombosis)
What to watch for: The Boston Celtics are more than ready to enjoy the comforts of home. They were only on the road for three games, but they were three grueling contests.
Now, they’ll take on the Wizards, who have made the news recently for allowing Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo to score 83 points in a single game.
Tale of the tape: This will be the third time the Celtics and Wizards have squared off this season, and both have been blowouts in Boston’s favor.
The Celtics picked up a 136-107 home victory on November 5 before heading out on the road about a month later. They took down the Wizards in Washington (without Jaylen Brown), earning a 146-101 win.
Two straight games against the two best teams in the league, and Boston had a chance to win both. But they ended up falling just short.
Standings check-in: Boston’s two straight road losses were matched by three straight Detroit Pistons victories. That means the Celtics are now five games back of the one seed.
As for the third seed, the Celtics are now only one game up on the New York Knicks, who still sit in third place.
Wizards check-in: Washington’s record is a perfect reflection of how poorly they’ve played this season. However, they did just welcome Trae Young to their lineup.
Young has appeared in three straight games for the Wizards but is seemingly playing on a 20-minute restriction. He has averaged 14.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 6.7 assists while shooting 59.1% from the field and 42.9% from deep on 4.7 three-point attempts per contest.
Anthony Davis, whom the Wizards traded for at the deadline, has yet to appear in a game for Washington.
Alex Sarr has been playing well in his last three games, averaging 17.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks. He’s shot 55.3% from the field and 42.9% from deep on 4.7 attempts.
Rookie Will Riley has been enjoying a ton of success in his last 10 games. He has averaged 15.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists while shooting 46.9% from the floor and 33.3% from deep on 3.3 three-point attempts per game.
One fun play: There isn’t necessarily a lot of nuance to this play. It’s just Hugo Gonzalez outhustling everybody else on the floor.
He sees a chance to beat the Thunder back on defense, he takes it, and gets an easy bucket because of it. Elite hustle.
