Capital One Arena hosts an Eastern Conference matchup between the Boston Celtics and the Washington Wizards on Tuesday. The Celtics are 52-23 overall, including three straight victories, and 24-14 on the road this season. The Wizards are 33-42 overall, including four losses in the last five games. Bradley Beal (knee), Kyle Kuzma (ankle) and Daniel Gafford (foot) are all out for Washington. Grant Williams (illness) is questionable for Boston.
The Celtics are listed as 11-point favorites on the road, and tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. The total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, or the over/under, is 222.5 in the latest Celtics vs. Wizards odds. Before making any Wizards vs. Celtics picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four-plus seasons. The model enters Week 24 of the 2022-23 NBA season a stunning 70-36 on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning more than $2,900. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Celtics vs. Wizards and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the NBA lines and trends for Wizards vs. Celtics:
- Celtics vs. Wizards spread: Celtics -11
- Celtics vs. Wizards over/under: 222.5 points
- Celtics vs. Wizards money line: Celtics -550, Wizards +400
- BOS: The Celtics are 20-18 against the spread in road games
- WASH: The Wizards are 15-20-1 against the spread in home games
- Celtics vs. Wizards picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Celtics can cover
Boston is in the top three of the NBA in offensive efficiency, scoring more than 1.17 points per possession. The Celtics are dynamic on that end of the floor, including top-tier marks in shooting efficiency and assists, and Boston is also elite on defense. Boston is giving up only 110.6 points per 100 possessions while leading the NBA in defensive rebound rate. The Celtics secure 75.0% of missed shots on the defensive glass and yield only 12.5 second-chance points per game.
Opponents also average only 23.0 assists per game against Boston, and the Celtics are in the top five of the NBA in allowing 46.4% shooting from the field. Boston prevents free throws at an elite clip, giving up only 21.7 attempts per game, and Washington is in the bottom third of the league in free throw creation on offense. The Celtics round out their defensive profile with top-10 marks in fast break points allowed (13.0 per game) and points allowed in the paint (48.4 per game), and Boston is tough to beat in any venue.
Why the Wizards can cover
Washington has solid metrics lean on both offensively and defensively this season. The Wizards are in the top eight of the NBA in field goal percentage, converting 48.6% of shot attempts. Washington also boasts a top-10 mark in 2-point accuracy (55.9%) with above-average free throw shooting (78.8%) and assist creation (25.3 per game). Boston is No. 25 in the league in turnover generation on defense (12.8 per game), and the Celtics create only 6.4 steals per contest.
On the other side, Washington contests shots at a high level, yielding only 53% shooting from inside the 3-point arc and 47.0% shooting on all field goal attempts. The Wizards are also in the top five of the NBA in preventing free throw attempts (21.7 per game), and Washington has top-eight marks in assists allowed (24.5 per game) and blocked shots (5.2 per game). Washington also secures more than 72% of available rebounds on the defensive glass.
How to make Wizards vs. Celtics picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 234 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in almost 60% of simulations. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Celtics vs. Wizards? And which side of the spread hits almost 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
