Regular Season Game 55
Celtics (39-16) at Wizards (31-23)
February 8, 2018 at 8:00 PM Capital One Arena | Washington, D.C.
TV: TNT Radio: 1500 AM
Odds: WSH -1.5
(Photo: Omar Rawlings via Getty Images)
What to Watch:
Bounce Back
After winning a season-high five games in a row, the Wizards fell on Wednesday night to the Sixers, 115-102, in a tough road environment with the city of Philadelphia riding high after their hometown Eagles won the Super Bowl. Now the Wizards head home to take on the top team in the Eastern Conference, a team that eliminated them in a close and hard fought seven-game series last May. Once again, the Wizards will play in an energetic arena, this time with a majority of their fans on their side. Bouncing back will be the theme in this one.
Key Matchup:
Wizards vs. the World
With John Wall sidelined for six-to-eight weeks post-knee surgery, the Wizards picked up big wins over the Thunder and the Raptors. Both of those efforts were powered by ball movement which prompted Beal to say ‘everybody eats.’
Many folks from fans to the national media took this quote the wrong way thinking that Beal was saying that the team was better off without their superstar point guard. Beal tried to clear up the matter by explaining the phrase is a quote from the movie “Paid In Full”.
There have been other issues that have been pointed out including a tweet by Marcin Gortat after a win over the Magic and some TV interviews with John Wall yesterday. You can read more about Wall’s interviews on ESPN here.
ith Thursday’s contest on TNT, the entire basketball world will be watching this matchup. No better stage and no better team for the Wizards to tune out the outside noise against the Celtics. The Wizards already showed the world that they could beat the best team in the Eastern Conference when they beat Boston on the road on Christmas Day. Now they get a chance to show the world that they still have the strong chemistry that they’ve always had.
X-Factor:
Bradley Beal
The Wizards will look to their All Star for another big performance against their rivals. In Game 6 of last season’s playoff series, Beal had 33 points and he dropped a series-high 38 points in Game 7’s loss. During the Wizards’ Christmas Day win over the Celtics, Beal led the charge with 25 points.
Fun Factor:
The Rivalry
Despite the roster overhaul in Boston, there are still plenty of storylines to watch. Markieff Morris still does not like that Al Horford undercut him, John Wall (for future bouts) and Kyrie Irving is always an instant classic, and Bradley Beal faces off against childhood friend Jayson Tatum. Although distinct from last season, Washington and Boston have the chance to continue a budding rivalry. As a throwback Thursday, here is to the last time the Celtics came to D.C.
Prediction:
I predict this will be a statement game made by the Wizards. Last season the home team won every game of the season series between the two teams including the playoffs. The Wizards ended that home team trend on Christmas and I predict they’ll protect their house Thursday night.