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Tatum leads Boston into matchup with Washington

Washington Wizards (34-43, 11th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Boston Celtics (48-30, third in the Eastern Conference)

Boston; Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics host the Washington Wizards. Tatum is currently eighth in the NBA averaging 27.1 points per game.

The Celtics are 31-18 against Eastern Conference opponents. Boston is the league leader allowing just 104.3 points per game while holding opponents to 43.4% shooting.

The Wizards are 24-24 in Eastern Conference play. Washington averages 12.6 turnovers per game and is 9-18 when committing fewer turnovers than opponents.

The teams play for the fourth time this season. In the last matchup on Jan. 23 the Celtics won 116-87 led by 51 points from Tatum, while Bradley Beal scored 19 points for the Wizards.

TOP PERFORMERS: Tatum averages 3.0 made 3-pointers per game for the Celtics, scoring 27.1 points while shooting 35.2% from beyond the arc. Jaylen Brown is shooting 53.5% and averaging 26.9 points over the past 10 games for Boston.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope averages 2.1 made 3-pointers per game for the Wizards, scoring 13.2 points while shooting 39.4% from beyond the arc. Kristaps Porzingis is averaging 22.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.8 blocks over the past 10 games for Washington.

LAST 10 GAMES: Celtics: 7-3, averaging 118.1 points, 44.6 rebounds, 26.6 assists, 7.1 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 49.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.0 points per game.

Wizards: 5-5, averaging 111.1 points, 43.0 rebounds, 27.3 assists, 6.4 steals and 5.6 blocks per game while shooting 48.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 110.7 points.

INJURIES: Celtics: Robert Williams III: out (knee), Nik Stauskas: out (right ankle sprain).

Wizards: Vernon Carey Jr.: out (calf), Bradley Beal: out for season (wrist), Kyle Kuzma: day to day (knee).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Wizards, D.C. basketball greats pay tribute to late Bill Russell

Wizards pay tribute to late Bill Russell originally appeared on NBC Sports WashingtonThe sports world lost one of the greatest athletes in American sports history Sunday when Bill Russell passed away at the age of 88. Shortly after the news of his passing broke, tributes poured in across the basketball world. As an 11-time NBA champion with the Celtics, two-time NCAA champion, five-time NBA MVP and civil rights activist during the 1960s, Russell's impact reached far beyond Boston. Current and former Washington Wizards players as well as D.C. basketball icons were not excluded from the outpouring of support for Russell on social media. Georgetown basketball legend Patrick Ewing and former Bullets guard Phil Chenier highlighted those who shared kind words online.  Throughout his playing career, Russell helped lead the Celtics to 11 championships in a 13-year span, including eight in a row from 1959-66. He became the first Black coach in North American sports in 1966, when the Celtics named his player-coach. In 1969, he became the first Black coach to win a championship. Russell played in 21 winner-take-all games games during his basketball career, from college, to the Olympics and then the NBA. His teams went 21-0 in those games. Russell went 10-0 in Game 7s in the NBA.
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