The Wizards head to Boston to take on the East’s No. 1 seed.
The Washington Wizards are shipping up to Boston to take on the top-seeded Celtics Friday night. At 39-12, the Celtics comfortably possess the NBA’s best record due in large part to the brilliance of ex-Wizard Kristaps Porzingis.
Washington remains in the sewers of the Eastern Conference with a 9-41 record, but the roster will look a little different for the matchup against Boston. Daniel Gafford was reportedly traded to Dallas at the deadline in exchange for Richaun Holmes and some draft picks, so Marvin Bagley III will presumptively be starting if he is able to return from injury in time.
The key player to watch for the Wizards will Jordan Poole. Poole went scoreless on just five shots in 25 minutes of action against Cleveland the other day and is now heads to Boston to be guarded by one of Jrue Holiday or Derrick White. Holiday is one of the best perimeter defenders of this generation, and White joins him on the short-list of the best on-ball defenders in the entire league.
Wizards-Celtics tips off at 7:30 p.m. EST Friday night. I would not expect our old friend Kristaps Porzingis to suit up for the game, as Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla has been relatively conservative with Porzingis’ minutes against the bottom feeders of the NBA.