The Washington Wizards and the Boston Celtics square off this Tuesday for the right to snatch the seventh seed in the 2021 NBA Playoffs. Which team will get that seed and face the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the playoffs? Check out our preview of this game below.
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Betting Preview for the Washington Wizards vs Boston Celtics NBA Play-In Tournament Game on May 18, 2021
Where: TD Garden, Boston
When: Tuesday, May 18, 2021, 9:00 PM ET
Line: Washington Wizards (+1.5) vs. Boston Celtics (-1.5) – view all 2020-21 NBA lines
TV Broadcast: TNT
Betting on the Washington Wizards (+1.5)
Regular Season Record: 34-38
The Wizards got a huge win in the regular-season finale, beating the Charlotte Hornets at home last Sunday, 115-110, to secure the eighth seed. Despite a hamstring issue, Bradley Beal went out and scored 25 points, albeit on just 8-of-27 shooting from the field. A short rest before the meeting with Boston could go a long way in making Beal feel a whole lot more comfortable for Tuesday’s matchup. Beal was sensational when the Wizards beat Boston at home in February, 104-91, as he scored 35 points on 10-of-18 shooting with four threes. Together with Russell Westbrook, the Wizards have a dependable duo that can get them past Boston. Westbrook is coming off a triple-double effort in the Charlotte game, in which he had 23 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists. Robin Lopez also had a good game against the Hornets, as he came up with 18 points and six boards off the bench. He could be an X-factor against the Celtics.
The Wizards are 8-1-1 against the spread in their last 10 road games.
Betting on the Boston Celtics (-1.5)
Regular Season Record: 36-36
Things are not looking good of late for the Celtics. They are only 1-5 straight up in their last six games and just ended the regular season in a 96-92 road loss to the New York Knicks. The only win for Boston during that stretch was against the non-playoff team of the Minnesota Timberwolves. The loss of Jaylen Brown foe r the rest of the season is a punch to the gut of the Celtics, who will have to ask a lot from Jayson Tatum in order for this team to survive. But it’s not the end of the world for the Celtics. Tatum and Kemba Walker are very much capable of leading this team to a win against a Washington team that doesn’t really know how to defend. The Celtics should also have Evan Fournier and Marcus Smart back after both players missed the New York game, unofficially due to rest purposes.
The Celtics are 7-3 against the spread in their last 10 games as the home underdog.
Writer’s Prediction
The Celtics win, 121-118.
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