Wizards vs. Celtics, 5/18/21 NBA Playoff Play-In Predictions

Wizards vs. Celtics NBA Prediction

The Celtics are 1.5-point home favorites versus the Wizards for Tuesday night’s NBA Playoff Play-In at 9:00 p.m. ET. Will Boston cash or is Washington the better play as the small dog?

Game Snapshot

561 Washington Wizards (+1.5) at 562 Boston Celtics (-1.5); o/u 234.5

9:00 p.m. ET, Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Venue: TD Garden, Boston, MA

Washington Wizards DFS Notes

Bradley Beal (strained left hamstring) finished Sunday's critical win vs. Charlotte with 25 points on 8-of-27 shooting, six boards, four assists, three triples and one steal in 35 minutes. Beal initially had athletic tape on his troublesome hamstring, but took it off just a few minutes into the game. He opened the game 0-of-6 from the field and clearly wasn't 100 percent, though presumably nothing will stop him from suiting up for the Wizards' play-in games. The No. 8 seed was up for grabs today and he looked better as the game progressed, helping Washington secure the better seed -- they're now just one win away from the playoffs.

Boston Celtics DFS Notes

Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart, Evan Fournier, Jayson Tatum and Tristan Thompson all practice in full on Monday and are expected to play in Tuesday’s play-in game vs. Washington. These guys were rested in Boston’s final, meaningless game of the regular season, but they’ll all be back in action tomorrow night. That’ll shift Romeo Langford, Payton Pritchard, Grant Williams, Semi Ojeleye and Luke Kornet back to the second unit.

Wizards vs. Celtics Game Prediction

The Wizards are just 3-12-1 against the spread in their last 16 games in Boston, but are 4-1-1 against the number in their last six games versus the Celtics overall. They’re also 8-1-1 against the spread in their last 10 road games and is 18-5 against the number in their last 23 games playing on one day of rest. On the other side, the Celtics are just 4-9 against the spread in their last 13 games overall and are winless against the number in their last four home games.

NBA PREDICTION: WASHINGTON WIZARDS +1.5