On Thursday night, the Washington Wizards will host the Boston Celtics to begin the 2024–25 season. The Wizards’ 15-67 record from last season was their worst, and they are still rebuilding.

Carlton “Bub” Carrington (No. 14), Alex Sarr (No. 2), and Kyshawn George (No. 24) are all first-round lottery selections who joined the Wizards this offseason along with Saddiq Bey and veteran Jonas Valanciunas. The Wizards signed guard Malcolm Brogdon, who played for the Celtics, and forward Saddiq Bey, who is set to miss a significant portion of the season due to a ruptured ACL.

A damaged thumb tendon will also keep Brogdon out of Thursday’s contest.

Boston vs. Washington

Jordan Poole, who joined the Wizards in the offseason following an acquisition from the Warriors, will likely get more action at point guard this year. After Brian Keefe took over as head coach in January, replacing Wes Unseld Jr., Poole’s responsibilities as a ball handler were expanded.

The reigning NBA champions, Boston, defeated the visiting New York Knicks 132-109 in Tuesday’s season opener. According to sports betting picks experts, the 29 3-pointers made by the Celtics in the victory were tied for the most by an NBA team.

In the game’s last 8 minutes and 54 seconds, Al Horford made the 29th 3-pointer, but Boston went cold from beyond the arc, missing their subsequent 13 attempts. When Boston played the Miami Heat in 2020, they equaled the Milwaukee Bucks’ record.