Wizards vs. Celtics preview: Washington looks to get back on track in Boston

Game Info

When: November 27 @ 7:30 PM EST.

Where: TD Garden

TV: CSN Mid-Atlantic

Radio: 99.1 WNEW in the Washington area.

Injury Report

Alan Anderson and Martell Webster are out for the Wizards. Marcus Smart is out for the Celtics.

Keys to success

Limit turnovers

In the Wizards' first trip up to Boston, the Wizards coughed up the ball 24 times, and all the Celtics were collecting on the action. Jae Crowder have five steals, Kelly Olynyk had four, and Evan Turner had three.

Win the bench battle

Isaiah Thomas was in the starting lineup for the Celtics last time around, which you would have thought would hurt the Celtics' bench output, but that wasn't the case. Boston's bench outscored Washington 58-33 in their first meeting, led by big nights from Kelly Olynyk and Evan Turner. You can live with one of those guys going off, but when they're both playing like they did on November 6, it's hard to stay competitive.

Guard the rim

On the season, the Wizards are letting opponents shoot 60.6 percent on shots within five feet of the rim, the second-best percentage in the NBA. The good news is the Wizards are still one of the better teams in the NBA at keeping teams from getting those close range shots. But here's the thing: The Celtics, while not a great team at finishing effectively around the rim, get there a lot. Only five teams take more attempts within five feet of the rim than the Celtics. If Boston continually finds ways to get shots near the basket, the sheer volume of close shots may make it difficult for Washington to keep pace.