Wizards vs Celtics prediction NBA · Monday, December 14
At a glance
The Boston Celtics (3-1) host the Washington Wizards (2-3) on Monday, December 14 at 7:30 PM ET at TD Garden in NBA action. The Basketlog model gives the Celtics a 92% chance to win and projects a 105-122 score (Wizards – Celtics), about 227 total points. This season, the Celtics are 3-0 at home and the Wizards are 1-2 on the road. Since the start of the season: 3-1 for the Celtics and 2-3 for the Wizards (current streaks: Celtics W3, Wizards L2). A close game (margin of 5 points or fewer) happens in only 13% of cases according to the model. Fatigue: the Celtics played the night before (back-to-back). Reported injuries: Justin Champagnie (Wizards), Tristan Vukcevic (Wizards), Jamir Watkins (Wizards) and Devin Carter (Celtics). Prediction confidence: medium.
The analysis Model
On paper, the Celtics dominate this matchup. The model projects Celtics 122 – 105 Wizards, a margin of about 17.2 points in favor of the Celtics and a total around 227 points. Expect a game at a standard NBA pace. The Celtics played yesterday: fatigue often shows in the fourth quarter. The Celtics will be without Devin Carter. The Wizards will be without Justin Champagnie or Tristan Vukcevic (and 1 other). Early season: the numbers still lean heavily on last season, so confidence stays cautious.
- The overall strength gap (+6.6 vs -7.7 pts/game) is the main factor.
- The Wizards need to win the pace battle to stay in the game.
- The Celtics' defense allows clearly fewer points (108.3 pts/game).
What tips the balance
Scenarios
Stat comparison Current season
WSHBOS
Players to watch
Wizards
Anthony DavisF · #2321.8pts / game
Trae YoungG · #310.4assists
Anthony DavisF · #238.4rebounds
Celtics
Jayson TatumF · #028.0pts / game
Jayson TatumF · #08.0assists
Jayson TatumF · #06.2reboundsRecent form
WSH
128-116L
112-102W
124-120L
110-103L
121-111
BOS
125-120 OTL
121-113W
107-103W
134-99W
125-124 OTHead-to-head
4 meetings scheduled this season.
Second opinion
Our model compared with ESPN's public model (BPI). When they agree, the prediction is more solid.
✓ Both models pick the same favorite.
Team comparison
| WSH | BOS | |
|---|---|---|
| 2-3 | Record | 3-1 |
| 113.1 | Points scored / game | 116.1 |
| 122.2 | Points allowed / game | 108.3 |
| -7.7 | Adjusted margin / game | +6.6 |
| L2 | Current streak | W3 |
| 2-3 | Last 10 games | 3-1 |
| 1-2 road | Home / road record | 3-0 home |
| 17-65 (-12.0) | Last season | 56-26 (+7.7) |
| No | Played yesterday | Yes |
Injury report Wizards
Injury report Celtics
Probabilities estimated by the Basketlog model from available public data; early in the season they rely heavily on last season. They are neither a certainty nor betting advice.
BOS