NBA Picks & Predictions: Celtics vs. Wizards (Thursday)
The NBA has four games on tap for Thursday night. In the early window, the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards tip off at 7 p.m. ET, while the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks square off at 7:30 p.m. ET. The latter game can be viewed on TNT. In the late window, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets meet at 10 p.m. ET in the second end of the TNT doubleheader, while the Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings also battle at 10 p.m. ET.
Let’s get that bankroll in the blank with our best NBA picks for Thursday, Oct. 24’s game Celtics vs. Wizards.
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Thursday’s Best NBA Picks: Celtics vs. Wizards
NBA odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All NBA picks are for 1 unit
Boston Celtics (-850) at Washington Wizards (+590) | O/U 233.5 (-108/-112)
The Celtics (1-0) were in action Tuesday night, curb-stomping the New York Knicks at TD Garden after raising a championship banner. Boston rolled to a 132-109 victory, despite New York shooting 55.1% (43-of-78) from the field. The difference in the game was that New York hit 11 three-pointers, while Boston players were unconscious from behind the arc all evening.
Washington (0-0) is playing its regular-season opener. The Wizards were just 15-67 straight up (SU) last season while going 36-42-4 against the spread (ATS). In addition, the over had a 43-39 edge. At home, Washington managed to win just seven of its 41 games. While we should see some small gains, the Wizards are likely one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference.
Boston not only went 47.5% (29-of-61) from the perimeter but it also outrebounded New York at a 40-to-34 clip. The Celtics picked up 33 assists, too, which was +13, while turning it over at a championship-caliber rate of just three total times. That latter stat is simply amazing.
All five starters hit double digits in points, with Jayson Tatum leading the way with 37 points while securing a double-double with 10 assists. He hit an amazing eight three-pointers on 11 attempts while chipping in with four rebounds, a blocked shot and a steal in 30 minutes. Derrick White cashed in with 24 points and six triples while Jaylen Brown went for 23 points and five triples. All five starters had three or more three-pointers, which is simply amazing.
Boston easily cashed against the spread, while going over. However, in this one, the road team is laying nearly seven buckets. That’s a giant line. Or is it? Boston went 2-1-1 ATS last season against Washington while sweeping the regular-season series. Boston was favored by double digits in each of the meetings. As a favorite of 7.5+ points in the past eight meetings, the Celtics are 5-2-1 ATS. In addition, the over cashed in all four meetings last season, while going a perfect 6-for-6 in the previous six battles dating back to Nov. 27, 2022.
Picks: Boston Celtics -13.5 (-110), Over 233.5 Total Points (-108)
Daniel E. Dobish is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Daniel, check out his archive and follow him @danieledobish.