The Boston Celtics are looking to continue to stay atop the Eastern Conference when they travel to take on the Washington Wizards on Thursday night. Washington had been on fire until a recent loss to Philadelphia ended its winning streak, while Boston has been the best team in the East all season long. Both teams have star players dealing with injuries, so it will be interesting to see how this one shakes out.
This war on the floor will go down Thursday, February 8, 2018, at 8 p.m. ET at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.. The game will be televised live on TNT. We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Thursday schedule.
Opening NBA Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
The Wizards had won and covered five straight before their road loss to Philadelphia on Tuesday night. Washington has been without John Wall for the last few games, but they didn’t miss his presence until that game. This team struggled from the floor, and no one could hit from beyond the arc outside of Bradley Beal.
Washington has not been a great team to back at home this season. The Wizards are just 10-16 ATS at home, but they did get outright wins over both Toronto and Oklahoma City as underdogs over the last week.
Boston became just another team to lose on the road against Toronto on Tuesday night. It was going to be tough for the Celtics to knock off the Raptors, but even tougher considering that Kyrie Irving was not at full healthy. Irving had missed the last three games with a quad injury and did not look like himself in the loss.
Few teams have been better to bet on than the Celtics this year though. Boston is 17-9 ATS on the road and 33-20-2 ATS overall.
Player to Watch
There’s no denying that Irving is one of the keys for the Celtics. Irving has had a phenomenal debut with Boston and has been the rock of the team all season long. He has the highest PER of any Celtic by a wide margin, and he has been a devastatingly efficient scorer to boot.
Irving is hitting 48.6 percent from the floor and over 40 percent from beyond the arc this season. Those numbers are particularly impressive considering he does not have Gordon Hayward alongside of him, who was supposed to relieve some of the pressure.
In this game, it will be interesting to see how Irving does on defense. It was understandable that he would have some troubles after bruising his quad a week ago, but he really struggled on defense against Toronto. Washington has quick guards that can beat him to the rim if he is still hobbled.
Matchup to Watch
With Thursday’s trade deadline approaching, the Wizards have been rumored to be in the market for a big man. Marcin Gortat simply isn’t cutting it, and his poor performance against Philadelphia highlighted why Ernie Grunfeld wants to get another low-post body.
There has been talk that the Wizards are in the market for DeAndre Jordan, but that seems a little fanciful considering his hefty salary. That would tie up nearly $100 million in three players next season for the Wizards.
Assuming Washington doesn’t make a move, Al Horford should have a good game against Washington. His low post game is hard to stop, as Washington does not have the athletic big men to shut him down.
Free NBA Betting ATS Picks
Taking road teams is always a risky gambit, but Boston is a much better bet here. The Celtics are going to have a healthier Irving and should have the advantage in the frontcourt. Trades may shake things up beforehand, but barring a big shakeup, Boston will take care of business.
NBA Betting Odds: Celtics 101, Wizards 95
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