The Celtics head to their first game outside of TD Garden. The Celtics dominated the NY Knicks in their season opener at home on Tuesday. They will look to reach a perfect 2-0 on the season when they face the Washington Wizards on Thursday at Capital One Arena. This is the Wizards’ season and home opener.

This is the first of three games between these two teams this season. They meet again on November 22nd in Washington and April 6th in Boston. The Celtics lost 4-0 to the Wizards last season. They are 202-120 overall against the Wizards and 82-74 in Washington games. The Wizards finished 14th in the East with a 15-67 record last season.

During the offseason, they added three first-round picks from this year’s draft: 2nd pick Alex Sarr, 14th pick Carlton “Bub” Carrington and 24th pick Kyshawn George. They also added key veterans Jonas Valenciunas, former Celtic Malcolm Brogdon, Saddiq Bey and Anthony Gill. They also traded Deni Avdija and lost Tyus Jones to free agency. The Celtics, as we know, are basically the same team as last year’s championship team.

I’m assuming the Celtics will start with their usual lineup, while the Wizards’ starting lineup is from their game notes. Kristaps Porzingis remains out for the Celtics as he recovers from offseason ankle surgery. His return is not expected until December. Sam Hauser is also on the Celtics’ injured list due to lower back pain. He is listed as questionable.

Saddiq Bey is out for the Wizards as he has to rehab from a torn cruciate ligament he suffered in March. He has not been cleared for contact and it will probably be months before he returns to play. Former Celtic player Malcolm Brogdon is also on the Wizards’ injured list. He underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb and is expected to be out until at least November 10.

Likely Celtics starters

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Celtics reserves
Luke Kornet
Payton Pritchard
Neemias Queta
Baylor Scheierman
Jaden Springer
Xavier Tillman, Sr
Jordan Walsh

2-way player
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Anthony Watson

Injuries/losses
Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) is out
Sam Hauser (back) questionable

Head coach
Joe Mazzulla

Likely Wizards starters

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Wizards Reserves
Marvin Bagley III
Patrick Baldwin, Jr
Bub Carrington
Johnny Davis
Kyshawn George
Anthony Gill
Richaun Holmes
Corey Kispert

2-way player
Jared Butler
Justin Champagne
Tristan Vukcevic

Injuries/losses
Saddiq Bey (knee) is out
Malcolm Brogdon (thumb) out

Head coach
Brian Keefe

Key Matches

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  Jaylen Brown
  
  

  Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images
  

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  Kyle Kuzma
  
  

  Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
  

Jaylen Brown vs. Kyle Kuzma
Kuzma was the Wizards’ leading scorer last season, averaging 22.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists. He shot 46.3% from the field and 33.6% from distance. In 22.9 minutes in the preseason, he averaged 9.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting 31.4% from the field and 19.2% from long range. With Jaylen Brown looking to prove he belongs on the All-Defense team, it won’t be easy for Kuzma in this game.

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  Jrue holiday
  
  

  Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images
  

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  Jordan Poole
  
  

  Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
  

Jrue Holiday vs. Jordan Poole
Last season, Poole averaged 17.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He shot 41.3% from the field and 32.6% from distance this season. In 21.9 minutes in the preseason, he averaged 11.6 minutes, 1.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 42% from the field and 25.9% from long range.

Honorable mention
Al Horford vs. Jonas Valanciunas
Last season, while playing for the New Orleans Pelicans, Valanciunas averaged 12.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He shot 55.9% from the field and 30.8% from distance. In the preseason, he averaged 6.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 18 minutes. He shot 44.4% from the field but didn’t hit any threes.

Key to the game
defense – Defense is always the key to victory. The Celtics won their championship last season with tough, physical defense. To reiterate, you need to prioritize defense once again. In the preseason, the Celtics ranked 12th with a defensive rating of 104.6, while the Wizards ranked 29th with a defensive rating of 113.2. In their first game this season, they held the Knicks to 109 points. You still have to defend physically.

rebound – It is important for the Celtics to recover in order to gain more possession and limit their opponents’ possession. The Celtics beat the Knicks 40-34 in their first game. A big part of rebounding involves effort and hustle, and when the Celtics put in extra effort and hustle on the boards, it usually affects the rest of their game. Each player must commit to crashing the boards and chasing every rebound at both ends of the pitch.

Don’t become complacent – The Wizards were at the bottom of the league last season and are expected to finish at the bottom of the league again this season. The Celtics had an emotional ring ceremony and a game that they dominated, especially from distance. You must maintain the hunter’s mindset and avoid complacency. They need to play against the Wizards like they’re a top contender and not underestimate them.

3-point shooting – The Celtics set the record of 3-pointers per game in their first game against the Knicks. They shot 47.5% in the game, but that also included 13 straight missed shots to end the game as they tried to break the record. When they shot threes during the game, they hit everything. But when they tried to force it to set the record, they couldn’t hit anything. You don’t have to try to force 3s and keep hitting the best shot. Even if the three-pointers don’t fall in this game, they have to abandon that strategy and move the ball inside.

X factors
On the way – The Celtics play on the road after opening the season at home. You must overcome the distractions that come with gaming on the go, such as travel, hotel stays, missing family members, an unfamiliar building, and a hostile crowd. They must stay focused and not allow these distractions to stop them from playing the game properly.

Officiating -Officiating is always a crucial factor in any game. Every crew acts differently. Some call it close, others let them play. Some prefer the home team. Some prefer the road team. Some people just make bad calls that give them headaches. The Celtics must adjust to how the referees call the play and not allow poor calls or no calls at all to distract their focus from playing.

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