Washington Wizards vs Boston Celtics 5/18/21 NBA Odds, Preview, and Prediction

The Washington Wizards head to the TD Garden to visit the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of the NBA’s Play-in tournament on Tuesday night.

Washington finished with the East’s 8th best record after a furious finish while the Celtics struggled to the finish line and fell to 7th place at the end of the regular season. The winner of this game will move on to the first round of the playoffs against the Brooklyn Nets. The loser gets another chance when it plays the winner of the Indiana vs Charlotte play-in game later this week.

Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards continue their Cinderella run. After making it all the way back to 8th place, Washington will look to book the East’s 7th seed with an upset over the struggling Boston Celtics on Tuesday night in Game 2 of the NBA’s play-in tournament.

Russell Westbrook was named April 2021 Player of the Month after averaging 26.3 points, 16.1 assists, and 13.8 rebounds per game. Washington finished the regular season with a 17-6 record in their last 23 games. Bradley Beal may not be 100% in this game but given he’s averaged 41 points per game in three regular season games against Boston, he must be a marked man for the Celtics.

Washington was the third highest-scoring team in the league during the season at 116.6 points per game scored. They had the NBA’s worst scoring defense, ranking last among 30 teams and conceding 120.2 points per contest. They are, however, 8th in rebounding at 45.2 boards grabbed per contest.

Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics look headed for an outright playoff spot. However, they faltered down the stretch and lost five out of their last six games played to fall to 7th place in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics finished the season with a dismal 36-36 record and now they are forced to try and enter the playoffs via the backdoor.

Jayson Tatum is having another All-Star season and is averaging 26.4 points per game this season. Tatum averaged 31.5 points per game in Boston’s two regular season wins over the Wizards but scored just six in their loss at Washington. Tatum is nursing an ankle injury while Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart, Evan Fournier, and Robert Williams are also dealing with minor injuries.

Boston ranks 16th in the league in scoring at 112.6 points per game while they are in the middle of the pack in scoring defense, allowing 111.5 points per game. The Celtics are 15th in rebounding at 44.3 board grabbed per contest and are just 25th in passing at 23.5 assists per game.

Who Wins?

Washington is 15-5 SU in their last 20 games played. The Wizards are 3-4 SU in their last seven games played on the road. Boston is 1-5 SU in their last six games played. The Celtics are 2-3 SU in their last five games played at home. Head to head, the Celtics are 6-3 in their last nine games played against the Wizards. Boston is also 13-3 in their last 16 home games against Washington.

Boston needs to raise their level of play in this game. The Celtics finished the regular season with a 1-5 record in their last six games to drop in the play-in tournament. They will be without Jaylen Brown’s 24.7 PPG scoring average and that hurts with Brown’s ability to defend Russell Westbrook or Bradley Beal.

The Celtics have owned this matchup and I won’t fault you for picking them. But given the short time between the end of the regular season and the first play-in game, I’m not sure if the Celtics can recover in time. Washington is on a roll and I expect them to bring the momentum here. I’ll take the plus money and the visitors.

Prediction: Washington Wizards +113

Other Bets to Make

The Wizards are 15-4-1 ATS in their last 20 games played. Washington is 10-2-1 ATS in their last 13 games against the Eastern Conference, 5-0 ATS in their last five games as the betting underdog, 8-1-1 ATS in their last 10 games played, 18-5 ATS in their last 23 games when playing on one-day rest, and 5-0 ATS in their last five games after an ATS loss.

The Celtics are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games played. Boston is 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games played in May, 9-19-1 in their last 29 games against an opponent with a losing straight up record, 1-4 ATS in their last five games as betting favorites, 0-8 ATS in their last eight games when playing on one-day rest, and 0-4 ATS in their last four home games.

Head to head, the Wizards are 3-12-1 in their last 16 meetings in Boston. However, Washington is 4-1-1 in their last six overall games against the Celtics.

The Wizards were among the hottest teams to close the season and they won their last five games by an average winning margin of 3.2 points per game. Boston won just once in their last six games to fall to the play-in tournament and lost Jaylen Brown to a season-ending injury.

Boston has dominated this match-up at the TD Garden but this is the playoffs where none of the previous records matter. Washington is surely in better form, even with a compromised Bradley Beal. I’ll take the plus points and the Wizards here.

Prediction: Washington Wizards +2

The total has gone over in six out of the last nine games played by the Wizards. The over is also 5-1 in their last six road games, 5-1 in their last six games as road underdogs, 5-1 in their last six games against an opponent with a winning home record, and 4-1 in their last five games after a straight-up win.

The Celtics have seen the total hit over in eight out of their last 12 games played. The over is 6-0 in Boston’s last six home games. The total has gone over in their last four games as home favorites. The over is 6-0 in their last six games played at home and 6-1 in their last seven games when playing on one day rest.

Washington scored 120 or more points in 8 out of their last 10 games while also allowing at least 120 points in seven of those 10 contests. Boston went over 120 points in six out of their last 10 assignments while giving up 120 or more in five out of their last nine outings. Boston ranks 15th in scoring defense while the Wizards are dead-last in that department. Even with a compromised Bradley Beal and the absence of Jaylen Brown, both teams still have plenty of firepower left. Give me these teams to hit the over in a high-scoring affair.

Prediction: Over 232.5

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