The play-in meeting between the Celtics and the Wizards, seventh and eighth respectively in the Eastern Conference, is a duel between teams that ended the regular season on two completely different paths.
Washington started the season 3-12 and had to take a two-week hiatus in January due to coronavirus problems before ending the season on a 17-6 streak.
Boston wandered toward the end of the calendar, losing 10 of its last 15 games after a six-game winning streak.
Along the way, they had to deal with the nine-game absence of Evan Fournier, who came to the team in a deadline trade because he tested positive for COVID-19 and lost Jaylen Brown for the remainder of the season by one. wrist surgery.
It wasn’t exactly the conclusion that a team that played in the conference finals last year in the Florida bubble wanted.
“Obviously it is not the place we expected to be, but here we are. So we have to deal with this and deal with what we have in front of us, ”acknowledged Celtics guard Marcus Smart. “We are 0-0. Everyone has a chance to start over. We have to go out and take advantage of it ”.
Wizards guard Russell Westbrook also indicated that he is living at the moment.
“We fought a lot to get here,” said Westbrook, who was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month by averaging 26.3 points, 16.1 assists and 13.8 rebounds per game. “Nobody believed that we would be here and from here we only go up.”
Although their paths to reach this point were different, they have the same at stake.
The winner of Tuesday’s game will be the seventh seed in the first round and will face Brooklyn.
The loser will meet the winner of Tuesday’s game between Charlotte and Indiana for a chance to finish eighth and face East-leading Philadelphia.
Boston won two of three games against the Wizards this season, but they haven’t played each other since Feb. 28.
Beaten
Brown isn’t the Celtics’ only injury concern.
Star Jayson Tatum (left ankle), Tristan Thompson (left pectoral), Kemba Walker (left cervical nerve), Fournier (right knee), Smart (right calf) and Robert Williams III (foot) all missed the final regular season game. .
But coach Brad Stevens said he hopes everyone except Williams will be available.
Lesion de Beal
Washington’s leading scorer Bradley Beal’s health as of Tuesday is in question.
He was out of rhythm at the start of Sunday’s win and missed his first six shots; he made 2 of 11 field attempts and finished the first half with just five points. However, he helped Washington win by scoring 20 points after the break.
Pacers se miden a Hornets
Indiana hired coach Nate Bjorkgren to help the Pacers go deep into the playoffs.
Instead, they now need two wins just to get in.
After dealing with a season filled with injuries, poor defense and communication problems on and off the court, Bjorkgren and the Pacers will look to extend their season when they host Charlotte in the play-in on Tuesday.
“It’s the most important game of the season,” Bjorkgren acknowledged on Monday. “We have talked about the knockout situation and the guys know it. I like the way we have been playing, I like the way we have been sharing the ball, I like that we have received input from the bench and the way we have moved the ball ”.
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