Celtics vs. Wizards Preview: NBA Cup Play Continues

The Washington Wizards host the Boston Celtics in the next NBA Cup matchup.

Jeremy Brener | Nov 22, 2024

Oct 24, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Jared Butler (4) drives to the basket as Boston Celtics forward Drew Peterson (13) defends in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

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Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards are back on the court after three long rest days to take on the defending champion Boston Celtics in their second Emirates NBA Cup game.

The two teams are coming on very different wavelengths coming into the matchup. The Wizards are sitting at the bottom of the barrel in the Eastern Conference standings with a 2-11 record. During their nine-game losing streak, the Wizards have lost eight of those games by double digits, making it a long month for Washington.

Meanwhile, the Celtics are sitting pretty with a 12-3 mark, good enough for second place in the Eastern Conference standings. The only team ahead of the Celtics are the Cleveland Cavaliers, who started the season off 15-0 before falling to Boston in Tuesday's NBA Cup game.

With the Celtics coming into this game 1-1 in NBA Cup play, they will look to win big against the Wizards to get their point differential up for a potential tiebreaker scenario in the group and wild card race.

That could lead to a big blowout, but the Wizards will do everything in their power to try and prevent that from happening.

Here's a look at everything you need to know ahead of tonight's game:

Celtics vs. Wizards Information

Date, Location: Friday, November 22 - Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET

Celtics vs. Wizards Injury Report

Washington Wizards

SF Bilal Coulibaly (QUESTIONABLE - concussion)
SF Saddiq Bey (OUT - knee)
C Tristan Vukcevic (QUESTIONABLE - knee)

Boston Celtics

C Kristaps Porzingis (OUT - foot)

Celtics vs. Wizards Projected Starting Lineups

Washington Wizards

PG Bub Carrington
SG Jordan Poole
SF Bilal Coulibaly
PF Kyle Kuzma
C Alex Sarr

Boston Celtics

PG Jrue Holiday
SG Derrick White
SF Jaylen Brown
PF Jayson Tatum
C Al Horford

Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

Published Nov 22, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.