The Boston Celtics (12-9) and Washington Wizards (3-17) will face off in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. EST from Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. The game will broadcast live on NBCS-BOS.
The Celtics are 9.5-point favorites over the Wizards on the spread (Celtics -9.5), with the over/under set at 229.5 total points. Boston is a -425 favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while Washington is +325 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Celtics vs. Wizards predictions and NBA picks for Thursday, December 4.
My Celtics vs Wizards Prediction
- Celtics vs Wizards pick: Under 229.5 (-115)
My Wizards vs Celtics best bet is on the under, with the best price currently available at DraftKings. But as always, make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Celtics vs Wizards Odds
| Celtics Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-9.5 -110 | 229.5 -105o / -115u | -425 |
| Wizards Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+9.5 -110 | 229.5 -105o / -115u | +325 |
Celtics vs Wizards NBA Preview
The real key for Boston will be if they're without Jaylen Brown tonight against the Wizards.
The Celtics talk about wanting to play faster, yet they're still among the league's bottom teams in pace.
I think a large part of that is that anytime they start to play faster, it's led by Jalen Brown, who can initiate his own action and doesn't have to wait for a whole play to set up, unlike when it's Derrick White or Payton Pritchard.
Then you got Sam Hauser running around a screen and setting something up.
They just play a lot slower, so this should be a pace-down game.
I'm expecting Jaylen Brown to be out, as he's doubtful due to illness.
I'm also expecting Alex Saar (thigh) to be missing on the Washington side.
The Wizards would have Saar and Corey Kispert (fractured thumb) out, so they're losing two shooters.
Plus, they won't have guard Bilal Coulibaly (oblique), losing some of that athleticism and transition speed as well.
Celtics vs Wizards Prediction, Betting Analysis
I'm going with the under for this game, anticipating a slow pace as mentioned.
The line for the total started at 230.5 points and seems to be moving down to 229.5.
I'm totally OK with that number as well.
I think this should be 228.5 or lower, so I would anticipate a full point of closing line value here.
If everybody were healthy, the line would be 231.5, maybe even 232.5.
However, with all these injuries, this becomes an easy underspot for me.
Pick: Under 229.5 (-115, DraftKings)
