Boston Celtics vs Washington Wizards Preview

The Boston Celtics just suffered a difficult loss at the hands of the Indiana Pacers and things are not going to get easier for a while. The Celtics are facing the red hot Washington Wizards and it is hard to imagine a scenario where the Celtics win playing like they have to start the season.

During the second half against the Pacers it appeared as though the Celtics might escape their shooting slump. 42% overall and especially 37% from three point range are significant improvements for the Celtics. Unfortunately, too many costly turnovers prevented the Celtics from reaching their offensive potential.

The Wizards are 3-1 on the season and they are fresh off of a buzzer beater from Bradley Beal against the San Antonio Spurs. The Wizards have played much harder competition than the Celtics and they have been competitive in every game. Oddly enough, their one lose was too their weakest opponent in the New York Knicks.

The Celtics will desperately hope that Marcus Smart can have a speedy recovery because they will be facing an extremely challenging back court. John Wall and Beal are one of the best duos in the east and the defensive tandem of Avery Bradley and Smart may be the biggest matchup of the game. Fortunately, the Celtics are guaranteed to have one of their stand out guard defenders but that may not be enough against the Wizards.

Mar 18, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dion Waiters (23) drives against Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley (0) and guard Marcus Smart (36) during the first quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Celtics have actually looked decent on the defensive end. They have done a great job of generating steals which has lead to plenty of transition baskets. Transition has been the offensive area where the Celtics have had the most success but it has been no where near enough to secure wins.

The Celtics will need to get more out of their half court offense if they want to beat a team of the caliber of the Wizards. The Wizards have broken 100 points in all but one game this year and even if the Celtics manage to hold them under the century mark, they have a lot of progress to make if they want to break it themselves.

Brad Stevens changed up the starting lineup last game but one of the new additions in Amir Johnson is uncertain for the game. The Celtics could use a dependable finisher like Johnson as he has been one of the most reliable offensive players so far this season. While the Celtics still cannot depend on anything from Tyler Zeller or Kelly Olynyk, they will need Jared Sullinger to pick things up. Sullinger has been a pleasant surprise this season but he still has not left him mark from the three point line.

The Celtics need some player other than Isaiah Thomas to create offense for them. Thomas has done a stellar job at scoring himself and creating for his teammates but all kinds of struggles around him have left his impact as insufficient. Thomas needs teammates that will finish more of his great passes and the team needs someone to go to when Thomas is on the bench.

The Celtics just called up both Perry Jones and Jordan Mickey and after Terry Rozier and R.J Hunter saw the court in their last game, the two call ups may get limited minutes tonight, especially if Smart and Johnson are both out of the lineup.

Tonight would be a wonderful time for Hunter to have a breakout game. Hunter was given more minutes than regular rotation players last game but he had a minimal impact scoring. If the Celtics can find a way to get Hunter opportunities from beyond the arc then he can bring an added dimension that has been missing.

The Celtics have had no standout three point shooters and with Smart and Johnson potentially out, every player in the lineup is currently struggling in comparison to their normal averages. Hunter will not be looked to to run the offense but he is more than capable of providing a scoring boost for the second unit if Thomas is replacing Smart in the starting lineup again.

With the Raptors remaining undefeated the Celtics are going to find themselves in too deep of a hole in the division quickly. The Celtics still have seven more games before there is a significant drop off in the level of competition and they will be meeting even more difficult opponents than the Washington Wizards.

The Celtics need to find a way to break their losing streak and put together some sort of winning streak over the next few games and then back to backs against the Brooklyn Nets can get them right back on track.

More from Hardwood Houdini

It is still too early on in the season for anybody to panic but falling yet another game further under .500 will create a lot of discomrt and uneasiness in the Celtics’ front office.

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