Preview: Celtics take a trip to face the Washington Wizards

The Boston Celtics will be playing the Washington Wizards for the final time this season on Tuesday night. The Celtics travel to Washington on a three game win streak, looking to make it four. The Wizards desperately hope to steal a win to put them on the edge of the play-in conversation. A win against a top team might give them the encouragement they need to have a chance at the postseason.

Beal and Kuzma Out

Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma (as of Monday, March 27th) are ruled out for Tuesday’s matchup. Also on the day-to-day injury report is Monte Morris.

The Wizards top scorer, Beal, has sat out the last three games with a knee injury. Beal has provided the 12th seed with 23.2 points, four rebounds, and five assists. The Wizards were able to lock him to Washington with a massive payday. The contract guarantees Beal to $43 million per year for five years, with a no-trade clause. Some call it an overpay, but some call it smart of the Washington Wizards to lock in their best player for five years.

This current season is Kuzma’s second with Washington. He’s been putting up 21 points per game with seven rebounds. Kuzma’s role has arguably gotten much more important to the Wizards since Hachimura’s trade to Los Angeles.

Without two of Washington’s top three scorers, the Wizards hope to find help on the bench to beat the juggernaut Celtics, who will have everybody aside from Pritchard and Gallinari (season-long injury). However, Kristaps Porziņģus, the Wizards’ starting center, has been filling in the gap the last four games. He’s averaged three more points in the last four compared to his season average.

Jaylen Brown and the Celtics’ Hot Streak

One of the high points of the Celtics’ west coast trip was Jaylen Brown’s hot streak. Stretching back further, Brown has averaged 28.6 ppg in the month of March, nearly two more points per game than his season average.

It seems like the Celtics have figured out their offense once again. Over the last three games (all wins), the Celtics have averaged just under 130 points per game. With Robert Williams’s health seemingly improving, the Celtics have also got back to their record-breaking defense. The last two games saw the Celtics holding their opponents to 95 and 93 points.

Stretching back to March 8, the Celtics have suffered only two losses. Both losses were one-possession games. Boston’s most recent win against San Antonio on Sunday night saw a 137-93 win, without superstar Jayson Tatum.

The Celtics seem to be getting back on track after a mid-season fault that saw four losses in a five-game span. They’re getting hot at the right time and hope to continue their energy into the nation’s capital.

Will the Celtics add to their win streak or will the Wizards shock Boston at home? The Celtics face the Washington Wizards at 7:00 EST on Tuesday, March 28.

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(Featured image credited to Brian Babineau/Getty Images)