Celtics vs Wizards Picks and Predictions: Boston Wallops a Weakened Washington

The Celtics are gathering momentum ahead of the regular season's final stretch, while things are falling apart in Washington. Boston should show no mercy to the Wizards, as our NBA betting picks explain.

Mar 28, 2023 • 11:11 ET • 4 min read
Jayson Tatum Boston Celtics NBA
Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Celtics head to Capital One Arena to face off against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night. Boston still has a legitimate shot at the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, but Washington's playoff chances are dwindling.

This is the biggest spread of the day, with NBA odds opening Boston as an 11-point favorite before ticking up to -11.5 at most sites. Here are my best free NBA picks and predictions for Celtics vs Wizards on Tuesday, March 28.

Celtics vs Wizards best odds

Celtics vs Wizards picks and predictions

This is a big spread for a visiting team, but the Wizards are a sub-.500 team at home, and the Celtics are 24-14 straight up on the road.

Washington has been even worse lately, with two of its Top 3 players in Bradley Beal (23.2 points and 5.4 assists per game) and Kyle Kuzma (21.2 ppg) sidelined by injuries. In addition, starting point guard Monte Morris (10.2 ppg, 5.2 apg) and Daniel Gafford — who has been starting in place of Kuzma — are also questionable.

That's awful news against a Boston squad that might be the best in the league. Not only do the Celtics lead the league in net rating (+6.5), but they've been destroying teams lately, with three wins within the last week coming by more than 20 points. Meanwhile, the Wizards have been getting blown out, going 1-5 SU in their last six games, with all of those defeats coming by double-digits. 

Expect the Wiz to get run off the floor again, and back the C's to cruise to victory against an undermanned Washington squad that isn't playoff caliber even at full strength.

My best bet: Celtics -11 (-112 at BetRivers)

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Celtics vs Wizards spread analysis

The Celtics are in second place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 52-23 record, and trail the Bucks by just two games for the coveted top seed. 

They are 4-1 SU and against the spread in their last five games, and are fresh off a 137-93 curb-stomping of the Spurs on Sunday. 

Boston has been excellent on both ends of the floor, and is third in the league in offensive rating (117.1) while ranking fourth on defense (110.6). 

The Wizards are 33-42 and still have an outside chance of making the play-in, but will need to close the 3.5-game gap between themselves and the 10th-place Bulls. 

The Wizards have just three wins in their last 13 games, and those came against the Pistons (twice) and Spurs, who are the worst teams in the league. It certainly hasn't helped that Washington has been missing Beal for the last three games, and Zuma for the previous four contests.

Even with those guys, this has been a below-average squad that ranks 18th in the league in offensive rating (113.9) and 21st in defensive rating (114.9) this season.

With injuries stacking up, Washington's offense will need to be carried by Kristaps Porzingis (23 ppg), with Cory Kispert (22.5 ppg in the last two games) and Deni Avdija (16.8 ppg and 5.5 apg in the previous four contests) stepping up.

That lineup pales in comparison to that of the Celtics, who are deep and led by one of the league's best duos in Jayson Tatum (30.1 ppg) and Jaylen Brown (27 ppg).

Celtics vs Wizards Over/Under analysis

The total has plunged from the opening number of 227 to as low as 223.5 at some books. Both teams are in the bottom half of the league in pace, and while the Celtics are third in the league in scoring (118.1 ppg), that number ticks down to 115.2 ppg on the road.

The Wizards are just 23rd in the league with 112.9 ppg, and have been even worse lately with Kuzma and Beal sidelined. They dropped 136 points against a San Antonio squad that is terrible on defense, but they scored just 104 points in each of their other two contests within the last week. Those efforts came against the Raptors and Nuggets, who are both merely average defensively. 

The Celtics are far better than average on defense. They are fourth in the NBA in scoring defense (111.7 ppg), and third in opponent effective field goal percentage (52.9%), with those numbers dropping to 104.8 ppg on 51.1 eFG% in their last six games.

Celtics vs Wizards betting trend to know

The Wizards are 0-5 ATS in their last five games versus a team with a winning record. Find more NBA betting trends for Celtics vs Wizards.

Celtics vs Wizards game info

Location: Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
Date: Tuesday, March 28, 2023
Tip-off: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: NBCS-Boston, NBCS-Washington

Celtics vs Wizards key injuries

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