Boston Celtics vs. Washington Wizards Prediction, NBA Odds
The Celtics showed no signs of a championship hangover in Tuesday’s victory, and arrive in the nation’s capital looking to open their campaign with consecutive wins for a fourth straight year. The Wizards have nowhere to go but up when they take the floor for Thursday’s home opener. Washington led only Detroit last season with 15 wins and posted a league-low seven victories on home court.
The Celtics enter their first road game of the season perched as heavy 13.5-point favourites on the Thursday NBA odds. The Wizards lag as distant +625 underdogs on the NBA moneyline and the total is pegged at 232.5.
Celtics vs. Wizards NBA Betting Odds
Thursday’s matchup at Capitol One Arena marks the first of three meetings this season between these NBA Eastern Conference rivals. The Celtics swept all four dates with the Wizards last season including a pair of victories in Washington by an average margin of 22.5 points and have now claimed victory in eight of their past nine meetings.
In addition to claiming their 18th NBA championship title last season, the Celtics also led the NBA with 120.6 points scored per game and compiled an Eastern Conference-leading 27-14 record on the road. However, the Celtics were also a shaky bet on the road, going just 19-19-3 against the spread away from TD Garden.
The Wizards return to action looking to overcome a 1-9 run to end last season’s schedule. Washington also lost six of its final seven home dates but are undefeated against the spread in their past four as double-digit home underdogs.
Boston Celtics
On Tuesday night, Jayson Tatum picked up right where he left off in last season’s march to an NBA title. The five-time NBA All-Star led the Celtics attack with 37 points and 10 assists and is a lucrative +1250 bet on the NBA player props to record his first triple-double of the season. That is bad news for the Wizards, who allowed Tatum to average 32.7 points per game in three dates last season.
However, the Celtics remain without Kristaps Porzingis heading into their first road date of the season. The talented Latvian big man remains sidelined indefinitely as he continues to recover from offseason foot surgery.
Washington Wizards
The Wizards will feature an intriguing mix of youth and veterans in their lineup when they hit the hardwood for Thursday’s home opener. Jordan Poole is expected to take on a leadership role in Washington after finishing second in scoring in his first season with club. Poole averaged 23 points per game over his final four appearances to finish last season with 17.7 points per game and needed just 18 minutes to score 16 points in last week’s 118-117 preseason win over the Knicks.
Thursday’s contest will also provide NBA betting fans with their first close-up look at power forward Alex Sarr. The towering 19-year-old was selected second overall in this year’s NBA draft after averaging 9.4 points per game in his lone season with Perth of Australia’s National Basketball League. But after being hobbled by a calf injury that limited his preseason availability, it would not be a surprise to see the Wizards use Sarr sparingly in his NBA debut against the defending champions.
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