Boston Celtics broke their losing streak on Wednesday, and Friday they turned it into a winning one. That's how quickly things change in the NBA. The team captain, point guard Rajon Rondo, hasn't fixed his scoring struggles, but he locked much more confident in the win against the Los Angeles Lakers than he did just last week. Boston is now 6-11 and two wins out of the eighth spot in the East.
For one player on the Washington Wizards, it will yet again be a special feeling to play for the away team in Boston. Paul Pierce spent the first 15 seasons of his NBA career in green, leading them to ten playoffs and one championship. Now he is one of the reasons why Washington look like serious contenders in the Eastern Conference, where they currently hold second place. Their 13-5 record is actually the best start they have had to a season since 1974.
Washington is doing a good job defensively, where they are holding teams to 95.6 points per game, and they are 12-0 when they have kept opponents under 100 points. They have been on a tear lately, winning their last three games by 16 or more points. The Wizards have, so far this season, been particularly good at putting away weaker teams, and this will be a good test for the Celtics, whether they are in that category or not.
It will also be a test for Tyler Zeller, who has taken over the role as the starting center for Boston. He is coming off a career-high 24 points on 10-of-11 shooting and 14 rebounds against the Lakers' weaker frontcourt Friday night, but will face tougher resistance from Washington's Marcin Gortat, who has played very effectively lately.
There are interesting matchups all over the floor. Washington Wizards have one of the best – and youngest – backcourts in the league with John Wall and Bradley Beal, who have shown great synergy playing together. They go up against a pair that also combines well in Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley.
Meanwhile, small forward Paul Pierce will face the man who originally was brought in to be his backup, Jeff Green. Green seems to have come out of his shooting slump and is averaging 25.3 points on 54.2 percent shooting in three games in December.
Washington won three out four contests between the two teams last season, and they are clearly the favorites again today. But look out for a Boston team that got a confidence boost early this week.
