Wizards Keys to Victory vs. Struggling Celtics

The Celtics lack both high end talent, and bench depth at the center spot. Neemias Queta has handled the starting duties thus far and has been solid, but not spectacular. Queta is a very physical and energetic big, who thrives off playing with passion and effort. Queta will want to battle and play rough with Sarr, because he doesn’t have the technical ability to keep up with the mobility and skill of him. Boston's bench depth of Chris Boucher and Luka Garza doesn't offer much defensive relief either, making a big Sarr game seem inevitable. 

Slow Down Jaylen Brown

It's no secret that the head of the snake in Boston is Jaylen Brown. He is averaging nearly 12 more points per game than any other Celtic, making a lot of the team's success predicated on his performance. The Wizards have struggled to slow down opposing teams star players thus far, but the team does match up well to Boston. If Washington has one thing going for them, its wing depth. Along with that, arguably their two best defenders — not named Alex Sarr — are both wings that could give Brown a tough night. 

Bilal Coulibaly has taken on the toughest defensive matchups since returning from injury and he will likely do the same versus Boston. Despite Coulibaly falling into a larger offensive role this season, he has kept up his defensive pace, making him all the more valuable as a player. Kyshawn George will also take his licks at the Brown matchup, just in a smaller sample size. George has proven to be a solid perimeter defender this season, but struggles to do so without fouling. As a result, he isn't capable of taking on high profile matchups for long periods of time — but he can use a wildcard matchup to throw Brown off of his game. 

Play Four Quarters of Basketball

Washington has a glaring problem this year and that problem; they don’t play four quarters of basketball. In seemingly every one of their losses, they will have a quarter where the offense and defense don’t show up. Whether the reason behind this is poor lineups, schemes or even just poor shooting stretches doesn't really matter. The Wizards can not continue to have long stretches of abysmal basketball if they wish to win games, especially against a team as well coached as the Boston Celtics.