Washington Wizards vs. Boston Celtics Pick – August 13, 2020

The Washington Wizards and Boston Celtics will close down their regular-season bubble action Thursday afternoon at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Florida. The Wizards will head home after this clash, while the Celtics start their postseason odyssey as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Although neither side has something to play for in this game, we expect them to put on a show in their final showdown of the 2019-20 NBA regular season. Here’s my Wizards vs. Celtics betting pick along with the all-important betting trends and analysis for Thursday’s matchup.

You wouldn’t normally see such close odds for a matchup between two sides that are so far away in the standings. The Celtics are the much better team and there’s little doubt about that. And yet, this is the last game of the season and they don’t want to risk injuries before the start of the NBA playoffs.

There will be plenty of important players missing (more about that later), so the game is rather unpredictable and that explains the lines of the top NBA betting sites.

The Wizards entered the bubble without their best players. Missing Bradley Beal, John Wall, and Davis Bertans was too much for the Wizards, so it’s no surprise they are winless at Disney’s.

Rookie Rui Hachimura is leading the way for the Wizards, averaging 18.0 points and 6.3 rebounds over his last three outings. Thomas Bryant is doing a good job too, posting 16.6 points and 8.4 boards per game through his previous five showings.

Still, the Wizards allow 118.0 points per game in the bubble. Their defense is a big issue, and the Celtics’ offense will be another tough test for Scott Brooks’ team.

Anyway, the Celtics will rest their studs in this meaningless regular-season finale. They will be without Marcus Smart, Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown, Kemba Walker, Daniel Theis, and Jayson Tatum.

#NEBHInjuryReport tomorrow vs. Washington:

Jaylen Brown (rest) – OUT
Gordon Hayward (rest) – OUT
Marcus Smart (rest) – OUT
Jayson Tatum (left ankle sprain) – OUT
Daniel Theis (right foot soreness) – OUT
Kemba Walker (left knee rehab) – OUT

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) August 12, 2020

Under such circumstances, it’s really hard to predict what’s going to happen and I’m not sure the numbers matter. And still, let’s take a look at some of the relevant stats.

The Wizards are rolling on a seven-game losing streak, still searching for their first win in the bubble. They are only 1-6 ATS in Kissimmee, while the under is 4-3 in that stretch.

Boston is 4-1 straight up and 3-1-1 ATS in its last five encounters with Washington. The over has hit in 14 of the previous 19 meetings between the Celtics and Wizards.

I know that the Boston Celtics will miss many of their top players, but one of the big strengths of the team is the depth and the organization. Both the offense and the defense can function on a decent level even if the execution is not performed by the organization’s most talented players.

The Wizards have been the punching bag of the NBA since the restart and miss a bunch of their most important pieces too. That’s enough for me to try the Celtics win here and that’s my final pick.