Celtics vs. Wizards odds, line, spread: 2020 NBA picks, Aug. 13 predictions from model on 58-32 roll

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The Boston Celtics and the Washington Wizards square off on Thursday afternoon in the final seeding game for each team. On the Boston side, the roster will look much different than under normal circumstances, with Jayson Tatum (ankle), Kemba Walker (knee), Daniel Theis (foot), Jaylen Brown (rest), Gordon Hayward (rest) and Marcus Smart (rest) all out of action. For the Wizards, the injury report is mostly clean.

Tip-off is at noon ET in Orlando. William Hill lists Boston as the 2.5-point favorite. The over-under, or total number of points expected, is 224 in the latest Celtics vs. Wizards odds. Before making any Wizards vs. Celtics picks, see the NBA predictions from SportsLine's advanced computer model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, and it's already returned well over $4,700 in profit on its top-rated NBA picks this season. It entered the week on a blistering 58-32 run on top-rated NBA spread picks, returning almost $2,300 on those picks alone. Amazingly, it hasn't missed a single top-rated pick (5-0) since the NBA's restart in July. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Celtics vs. Wizards. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the NBA odds from William Hill and trends for Wizards vs. Celtics:
• WASH: Is 2-0 ATS against Boston this year

Why the Celtics can cover

The Celtics certainly aren't the same team without their core players, but Boston has more talent than a typical team missing six key pieces. Brad Stevens is a high-level coach that excels at coaxing production out of mismatched rosters and, in Robert Williams, Grant Williams and Romeo Langford, the Celtics have recent first-round talent to lean on.

In addition, Enes Kanter is more than capable of stuffing the stat sheet with excellent offensive play on the interior and, simply put, the Wizards have been the NBA's worst defensive team in 2019-20.

Why the Wizards can cover

Though neither team has tangible incentive to win on Thursday afternoon, the Wizards are aiming to avoid a win-less trip to Orlando. In addition, Washington perhaps has the more talented team when accounting for Boston's absences and, offensively, the Wizards have some firepower.

For the season, Washington ranks in the top eight of the NBA in getting to the free-throw line and avoiding turnovers, both of which can be crucial in creating efficient offense. Individually, the Wizards project to be led by Thomas Bryant and Troy Brown Jr., though Rui Hachimura, Moe Wagner and others are capable of exploding against an undermanned Celtics frontcourt.

How to make Celtics vs. Wizards picks

SportsLine's model is leaning under the total as only two players for either side projected to hit the 20-point mark. The model also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50 percent of simulations. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Celtics vs. Wizards? And which side of the spread hits in well over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Wizards vs. Celtics spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up over $4,700 on its top-rated NBA picks this season, and find out.