After 16 years, the Boston Celtics once again made the traditional visit to the White House. The defending champions, who stunned the league last season with a dominating run, are still harvesting the gains. Ahead of their third NBA Cup match against the Washington Wizards, the team met the POTUS Joe Biden at The People’s House. Following the honor, the team is all set to dominate the game at the Capital One Arena.

It’s been a practice for ages that defending champions make a mandatory visit to the White House and take a group photo with the president. However, in a few cases, the teams had decided to skip the trip, citing various reasons. Notably, the 2023 Champs Denver Nuggets missed their visit, citing scheduling issues. Nevertheless, heading back to the In-Season Tournament, the C’s badly need a win to book a spot for the knockouts.

With a 1-1 record in the NBA Cup, the Celts have to win both their group games. Facing the Wizards first on Friday, the Boston side doesn’t seem to have any issue with the injury report. Kristaps Porzingis, who is yet to make his debut this season, is the lone soul on the IR. The star struggling with the foot injury has reached the penultimate period of recovery. The team announced that the star would train with the G-League Maine Celtics before making his return in early December.

On the other hand, the struggling Wizards have a new entrant in the injury report. Just like the C’s, the Wizards also have a player yet to make his debut this season, Saddiq Bey. Apart from him, Marvin Bagley III and Tristan Vukcevic have recently joined the list. While Vukcevic is out with a knee contusion, the team listed Bagley Questionable with a groin injury.

Wizards vs Celtics: Starting lineup and depth chart

Coach Joe Mazzulla has had an interesting approach to his player policy despite amassing a deep roster. Notably, in the last win against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the champion coach opted for only three substitutes: Neemias Queta (C), Payton Pritchard (G), and Sam Hauser (F). It’s something that has worked well for the Celtics since the last season. So, Kristaps Porzingis’ absence doesn’t seem to affect the Celts much, given the presence of veteran Al Horford and agile Neemias Queta. Notably, Porzingis’ presence will only increase on the floor with his surprise three-pointers. The league better watch out for the Celts in the coming days!

Boston Celtics

Washington Wizards

The Wizards have continued to give underwhelming performances following the drastic roster changes in the last two seasons. Not to forget that the team lost Bradley Beal and Porzingis in the same season. However, with Poole and Sarr in action, the team is expected to develop in the coming seasons. Will the Wizards surprise the Celtics tomorrow? Let us know in the comments below.