The Washington Wizards finished the year on a tear, as they went from out of the playoff picture to getting the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. A big reason for that, their superstar Bradley Beal. Beal, however, missed some time at the tail end of the regular season nursing a hamstring injury. After returning to the lineup Sunday, Beal provided an update for Tuesday's play-in game against the Boston Celtics.
Bradley Beal talking like he’ll give it a go tomorrow in Boston: "There’s no setback. I didn’t injure it any worse than it already, so that’s positive. Obviously it won’t be 100 percent. I’ve just got to manage it the best I can."
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) May 17, 2021
While Beal notes he isn't 100%, at this time of the year, not many players are. Still, he missed two consecutive games against the Atlanta Hawks in the last week of the regular season before returning to action Sunday for the Wizards. His 35 minutes on Sunday sparked optimism that he would be all set to square off against the Celtics and now that appears to be the case.
Washington has become one of the more entertaining teams in the NBA to watch. Fueled by Beal and superstar Russell Westbrook, the Wizards have made quite the rise from the ashes appearance to make the play-in tournament.
The Celtics enter the postseason limping in. Jaylen Brown is out for the year, Kemba Walker was in-and-out of the lineup the last couple of weeks and a lot rides on the shoulders of Jayson Tatum because of it. Boston is sputtering while the Wizards have been riding the good vibes.
Whoever wins between the Wizards and the Celtics will clinch the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference and earn a date against the Brooklyn Nets. The loser will play the winner of the Hornets – Pacers matchup for the last spot in the field.
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