Wizards vs. Celtics preview: Washington looks to bring momentum to Beantown

Wake me up, before you go-go ... And make sure you pinch the Washington Wizards on your way out.

The #WizKids are looking pretty damn good these past few games, and yes, I know it's been only a few, but they're 3-1 (2-0 on the road!) and just took down the San Antonio Spurs in the most dramatic, yet beautiful fashion. Had 'Melo not gone off a few days ago, the squad could very well be undefeated.

But we won't play that game.

The Wizards head to Boston Friday night for a matchup with a struggling Boston Celtics team whose lone win this season comes against the lowly Philadelphia 76ers. However, this very well could be a trap game for the Wizards, who are riding high on some momentum, but still have gaps in their game they need to address.

Game info

When: November 6 @ 7:30 PM EST

Where: TD Garden in Boston

TV: CSN Mid-Atlantic, CSN Boston

Radio: WNEW 99.1 FM if you're in the DMV area, 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston

Injury report

For the Wizards, Alan Anderson is out, while Garrett Temple and Nene are both day-to-day. Kelly Olynyk and R.J. Hunter are both listed as day-to-day for the Celtics.

Storylines we're following

Big men play

The Wizards have a great backcourt in John Wall and Bradley Beal. This, we know. But their frontcourt is struggling beyond belief. Center Marcin Gortat is currently fifth on the team regarding field goal attempts through four games, which is understandable considering the faster and newer offense they are running this season. Despite his voiced frustration, he's still doing pretty well this season, averaging 9.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, but it's not quite up to his standards. Kris Humphries and Nene aren't looking so great either. As Miami Hurricanes great Santana Moss once famously said: "BIG TIME PLAYERS MAKE BIG TIME PLAYS!" And now it's time for the BIG MEN to step up BIG WAYS - and what better team to do it against than the struggling Celtics?

Assistin'

When your team has Optimus Dime, assists should never be a worry. Right? Well, right. Except the Celtics are averaging more assists per game (23.8) compared to the Wizards (21.5). The discrepancies in these two numbers isn't huge nor should it be worrisome for Washington per se, but how John Wall and Isaiah Thomas match-up Friday night will be fun to watch - especially because Wall's play has been more as a facilitator in the first four games, while Bradley Beal's play has been more as a scorer. Thomas is averaging 23.5 ppg on nearly 42 percent shooting from the field, while Wall is 20.8 points on about 44 percent shooting - though he is averaging more assists per game (8.3) than Thomas is (6.5). Point guard match-ups always make me excited because of how much they control the ebb and flow of the game. Though Wall went off in the last game's fourth quarter (13 points after a slow first three quarters), his shot doesn't seem like it is there just yet. A great team to get in rhythm against is Boston.