Wizards at Celtics
Bradley Beal erupted in the playoffs last spring after an injury-marred regular season, and it appears as if his play was a sign of things to come. Beal looks to keep alive his hot streak out of the gate when he leads the Washington Wizards into Boston to face the sliding Celtics on Friday.
The former No. 3 pick returned from injuries in the second half last season before averaging 23.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 10 playoff games, all well above his norms, and he has upped his game even more in the early portions of 2015-16. "It's just me coming into my own I guess," Beal told reporters after his game-winning 3-pointer in the final second lifted the Wizards to a 102-99 come-from-behind triumph against San Antonio on Wednesday, capping his fourth straight game of at least 24 points. Washington is hoping to start 4-1 for the second straight season while Boston has opened 1-3 for the second time in a row after a 100-98 loss at Indiana on Wednesday. Turnovers have been an issue for the Celtics, who coughed it up 19 times against the Pacers and entered Thursday's action with the third-highest turnover rate (17.3) in the league.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington), CSN New England (Boston)
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (3-1): While Beal soars early on, center Marcin Gortat has been slow to get going and expressed some personal frustration after the win over the Spurs. "I felt like preseason was really good for me," Gortat told the Washington Post. "I'm definitely in shape. Shots are just falling out. There's nothing going in. I got no explanation." Gortat, who paced the Wizards with a 15.3 scoring average in preseason, is averaging 9.5 points on 44.8 percent shooting, more than 10 percentage points below his career mark.
ABOUT THE CELTICS (1-3): Head coach Brad Stevens shook things up in Indiana by replacing struggling big men Tyler Zeller and David Lee with Amir Johnson and Jared Sullinger in the starting lineup, but it didn't yield much. A game after Zeller and Lee combined for two points on 1-of-9 shooting, Johnson and Sullinger had a total of 11 points on 3-of-12. Point guard Marcus Smart was out with a sprained toe and Isaiah Thomas got the start in his place, piling up a game-high 27 points.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Beal was 4-of-18 from the floor with four turnovers in the Wizards' only visit to Boston last season -- a 101-93 loss.
2. Boston G Avery Bradley is averaging 17.3 points in his last three games after being held to four in the season-opening win over Philadelphia.
3. Celtics C Kelly Olynyk has missed all eight of his shots in back-to-back scoreless efforts.