Boston Celtics vs. Washington Wizards Game 3 Preview
Where: Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
When: Sunday, May 7, 2017, 6:30 PM ET
Line: Boston Celtics vs. Washington Wizards – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: TNT
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Betting on the Boston Celtics
Boston was sent back to earth by Washington in Game 3, as the C’s suffered a 116-89 shellacking from the Wizards Thursday night.
Isaiah Thomas apparently can’t score 50 points every night, scoring just 13 points on 3-for-8 shooting from the field. Thomas could be a bit fatigued right now given the heavy load he’s been having so far in this series so the Celtics have to get its other scorers going. Avery Bradley was supposed to be one in Game 3 but the shooting guard sputtered with only seven points. The production from Thomas and Bradley are critical for the Celtics to counter whatever it is the pair of John Wall and Bradley Beal will generate.
The Celtics sank 10 threes but those were far from the 19 they had in Game 1 and fewer than their 13 in Game 2. Washington’s tightened its perimeter defense in Game 3 so it’s up to Boston how it’ll find a way to stretch the Wizards’ defense anew.
Betting on the Washington Wizards
John Wall and the Wizards made sure they weren’t going to go down in a 3-0 series hole with a dominant victory Thursday night.
Wall top scored for the Wizards with 24 points to go with 8 dimes and 3 steals. He got help from the likes of Otto Porter and Bojan Bogdanovic, who each scored 19 points. The Wizards bullied the Celtics inside and it proved to be the biggest difference in the game, as they outscored Boston in the paint, 56-28. Marcin Gortat had a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds and he’ll have carry over that aggressiveness into the next game, considering the result of his work in Game 3.
Another key factor for the Wizards is their defense of Isaiah Thomas. Thomas just had eight shots in Game 3 after unloading 33 the previous contest. Ball denial on Thomas plus making tiring him on the other end of the floor by exploiting matchups would go a long way for the Wizards.
Bogdanovic’s output was very much welcome for the Wizards, who got zero from the Croatian in Game 2. Bogdanovic and the Wizards’ bench play a big part in influencing how the Wizards will keep up with Boston.
Writer’s Prediction
Washington wins, 106-103.
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