Author: flceltsfan

The Celtics look to avenge Monday’s loss as they take on the Atlanta Hawks for the 2nd time in 4 days.

The Celtics continue their road trip with their second straight game in Atlanta against the Hawks. This is the 4th and final game between these two teams this season. The Celtics won the first two games this season against Atlanta - 113-103 on Nov. 26 and 125-117 on Feb. 7 with both games played in Boston. They lost the third game 120-118 in Atlanta on Monday, after blowing a 30 point lead.

The Celtics won the series 3-0 last season and lead this season 2-1 going into this 4th game. The Celtics are 244 -1488 overall all time against the Hawks and they are 112-94 in games played in Atlanta. The Celtics have been off since Monday’s game while the Hawks are playing on the second night of back to back games, having played Portland on Wednesday. The Hawks are 7-5 in the 2nd of back to back games.

The Celtics remain 1st in the East, 11 games ahead of 2nd place Milwaukee, 13 games ahead of 3rd place New York, 13.5 games ahead of 4th place Cleveland, 15 games ahead of 5th place Orlando, and 17 games ahead of 6th place Indiana. They are 25-12 on the road and 9-1 in their last 10 games. They are 38-8 against Eastern Conference teams and lost their last game after winning the previous 9 games.

The Hawks are 10th in the East and are in the final play-in spot. They are 6 games behind 7th place Miami, 5.5 games behind 8th place Philadelphia, and 1 game behind 9th place Chicago for home court in the first play in game. They are 5.5 games ahead of 11th place Brooklyn and falling out of play-in contention. The Hawks are 18-17 at home and 5-5 in the last 10 games. They are 19-26 against Eastern Conference teams and won their last 3 games.

The Celtics are playing in the fourth game of a 6 game road trip. After this game in Atlanta, they will then will play New Orleans and Charlotte before returning home for 3 games against Oklahoma City, Sacramento, and Portland. Then it’s one game on the road in Milwaukee before finishing the season at home against New York, Charlotte and Washington.

The Hawks are playing in the fourth game of a 5 game home stand. They beat Charlotte by 41 points in the first game of the home stand and then beat the Celtics by 2 after coming back from being down 30 point. They beat Portland on Wednesday in the 3rd game of the home stand. They will close out the home stand against the Bucks. Then, it’s one game at Chicago and home again vs Detroit before going on the road again to Dallas and Denver. Then it’s back home vs Miami and Charlotte and they will finish the season on the road against Minnesota and Indiana.

After staggering players over the last several games, I’m expecting most of the players to be back in the starting lineup. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Kristaps Porzingis are all off the injury report as of now. Jrue Holiday missed the last five games with a shoulder injury but participated in practice on Wednesday and is questionable for this game.

Al Horford Horford is out due to a left big toe sprain. Jaden Springer is out with a knee injury. I’m going to guess that the starting lineup is back together for this game. If not, it’s next to impossible to guess what Joe Mazzulla will do if any of them are out. I never would have guessed the starting lineup for the last game with Tatum at the point.

The Hawks have 8 players on the injury report at this time. Saddiq Bey (knee), Kobe Bufkin (toe), AJ Griffin (ankle), Jalen Johnson (ankle), and Trae Young (finger), Mouhamed Gueye (elbow) and Onyeka Okongwu (toe) are all out for this game. Dejounte Murray (back) is questionable. I’ve included the starters listed in their game report.

Probable Celtics Starters

Celtics Reserves
Oshae Brissett
Sam Hauser
Luke Kornet
Payton Pritchard
Svi Mykhailiuk
Al Horford
Jordan Walsh
Xavier Tillman
Jaden Springer

2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Neemias Queta

Injuries/Out
Al Horford (toe) out
Jrue Holiday (shoulder) questionable
Jaden Springer (knee) out

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Probable Hawks Starters

Hawks Reserves
Bruno Fernando
Trent Forrest
Garrison Mathews
Wesley Matthews

2 Way Players
Vit Krejci
Seth Lundy
Dylan Windler

Injuries/Out
Saddiq Bey (knee) out
Kobe Bufkin (toe) out
AJ Griffin (ankle) out
Mouhamed Gueye (elbow) out
Jalen Johnson (ankle) out
Onyeka Okongwu (toe) out
Trae Young (finger) out
Dejounte Murray (back) questionable

Head Coach
Quin Snyder

Key Matchups

Jrue Holiday vs Dejounte Murray
Murray is averaging 22.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He is shooting 46.5% from the field and 36.8% from beyond the arc. Murray is also one of the Hawks best defenders. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 6 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. He shot just 15.4% from the field and didn’t shoot a 3. He didn’t play in the second meeting between these two teams. On Monday, he finished with 19 points, 5 rebounds, 15 assists and 3 steals.

Derrick White vs Bogdan Bogdanovic
Bogdanovic is averaging 16.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.2 steals. He is shooting 42.3% from the field and 37.4% from beyond the arc. In the first 2 games against the Celtics, he averaged 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds 1.5 assists and 1 steal, while shooting 43.3% from the field and 45.3% on 3 pointers. On Monday, he finished with 22 points, while shooting 8-15 from the field and 4-7 on threes. He also had 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal.

Honorable Mention
Jayson Tatum vs De’Andre Hunter
Hunter is averaging 15.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He is shooting 46.7% from the field and 40.2% from beyond the arc. In the first 2 games against the Celtics, he averaged 17 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 43.5% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc. On Monday, he finished with 24 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. He was 8-14 from the field and 4-8 from beyond the arc.

Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense is always a key to winning games. Defense is especially important for the Celtics in this game because the Hawks are a good scoring team, averaging 119.2 points per game, which is 5th in the league. The Celtics are 2nd, averaging 121.2 points per game. The Celtics have a defensive rating of 110.5 which is 2nd while the Hawks have a defensive rating of 118.6, which is 26th. The Celtics allowed the Hawks to shoot 52.9% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc on Monday and they have to do better than that if they want to win this game. The Celtics must make defense a priority in this game and they have to play that tough defense for 48 minutes and not let up. They can’t allow missed shots to affect their effort on defense.

Rebound - Next to defense, rebounding is a key to winning. Much of rebounding is effort and desire. When the Celtics put out the extra effort on the boards, it usually carries through to the rest of their game. The Hawks are averaging 44.7 rebounds per game (6th) while the Celtics are averaging 46.5 rebounds per game (2nd). The Hawks out rebounded the Celtics 44-38 on Monday. The Celtics need to aggressively go after every rebound. They can’t afford to give the Hawks extra possessions and 2nd chance points by allowing them to beat them to rebounds.

Be Aggressive - The Hawks play hard and on Monday, the Celtics allowed them to play harder than them. The Hawks were the more aggressive team and they played harder and with more energy and the Celtics lost. The Celtics must be the team that plays harder and that wants this win more. They have to be aggressive in diving for loose balls, in going to the basket, in getting stops on the defensive end, and in going after rebounds. The Celtics have to be aggressive and play hard for 48 minutes with no let up.

Pace and Ball Movement - The Celtics are among the leaders in pace in the first quarter but are 2nd to last in pace in the 4th quarter. They moved the ball and attacked mismatches and found open shots in the first half on Monday, but stopped moving the ball and slowed the game down and and had too many iso plays in the second half. They slowed it down so much that Jayson Tatum even got an 8 second violation while walking the ball up the court, at a time when they should have been picking up the pace and moving the ball.

X-Factors
Road Game and Fatigue - The Celtics are playing on the road and will have the distractions of travel and a hotel stay and playing in front of hostile fans in an unfamiliar arena. However, they had 2 days off since their last game after playing 6 games in 9 days. The Celtics were playing short handed in most of those games. The Hawks are playing on the second night of back to back games and are also playing short handed. Fatigue could come into play down the stretch in this game.

Officiating - Officiating is always an x-factor. Every crew calls the game a little differently with some calling it tight and others letting them play. Some refs just make head scratching calls while others try very hard to get them right. Sometimes they are tech crazy for every little thing. In some games they call the 2 halves completely differently. The Celtics have to adjust to how the game is being called and focus on playing the game and not on the officiating.

And make sure to check out CelticsBlog’s Playback stream for a live conversation about the game. To participate, just create a free account, connect your LP sub if you have it, and join our community!

The Celtics look to win their 6th straight game as they host the Detroit Pistons.

The Celtics go from the team with the worst record in the league to the team with the second worst record as they host the Detroit Pistons. This is the 2nd of 3 games between these two teams this season. The Celtics won the first game 128-122 in overtime on December 28. They will meet again at Detroit on March 22. The Celtics won the series 4-0 last season.

Both of these teams are playing on the second night of back to back games. The Celtics won 130-104 at Washington on Sunday while the Pistons lost104-101 at home to the Miami Heat. The Celtics are 9-2 on the second night of back to back games and 5-0 when the second game is at home. The Pistons are 3-7 on the second night of back to back games. The Celtics are 251-140 overall all time against the Pistons and they are 123-46 all time at home.

The Celtics remain 1st in the East, 9.5 games ahead of 2nd place Milwaukee, 11 games ahead of 3rd place Cleveland, 13 games ahead of 4th place New York, 14 games ahead of 5th place Orlando, and 15.5 games ahead of 6th place Indiana. They are 30-3 at home and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are 34-7 against Eastern Conference teams and have won their last 5 games.

The Pistons are 14th in the East, 1.5 games ahead of last place Washington. They are 4.5 games behind 13th place Charlotte, 11 games behind 12th place Toronto, and 17.5 games behind 10th place Atlanta and the final play-in spot. They are 5-27 on the road and 4-6 in their last 10 games. They are 9-33 against Eastern Conference teams and they have lost their last 2 games.

After a 3-2 road trip, the Celtics played one game at home against the Suns and then went on the road for a game in Washington before returning home to face Detroit. They will face Milwaukee at home and then head out on a 6 game road trip through Detroit, Chicago, 2 games in Atlanta, New Orleans and Charlotte. They will return home for 3 games against Oklahoma City, Sacramento, and Portland. Then it’s one game in Milwaukee before finishing the season at home against New York, Charlotte and Washington.

The Pistons just finished a 6 game home stand where they beat Brooklyn, Charlotte and Toronto and lost to Miami twice and Dallas. After this one road game, they will play Indiana, Boston and New Orleans at home. Next they play at New York, Minnesota, and Washington before playing Mamphis at home. They will play 6 of their last 7 games on the road.

It’s hard to predict who will play and who will sit in this one. Al Horford is out for rest. Jrue Holiday is out due to a shoulder injury. Kristaps Porzingis has missed 5 straight games with a strained hamstring and he has been upgraded to probable for this game. Derrick White and Jaylen Brown missed Sunday’s game and I would guess that they both return for this game. However, Brown is listed as questionable with ankle soreness.

Tatum is also listed as questionable with an ankle impingement. Sam Hauser left Sunday’s game with an ankle injury and is out for this game. I’m guessing that Derrick White will move to point guard with Jrue out and Oshae Brissett will start at shooting guard. However, Payton Pritchard may get the start at the point with White remaining at shooting guard. Those decisions will be made closer to game time.

For the Pistons, Quentin Grimes has been limited to three appearances in March due to right knee soreness and is out for this game. Ausar Thompson has missed 4 straight games with in illness and is also out for this game. Cade Cunningham was questionable for Sunday’s game with knee soreness but he ended up playing and is once again questionable for this game. Simone Fontecchio is questionable with a toe injury. I’m not sure who would start if either or both are out.

Probable Celtics Starters

PG: Derrick White
SG: Oshae Brissett
SF: Jaylen Brown
PF: Jayson Tatum
C: Kristaps Porzingis

Celtics Reserves
Luke Kornet
Svi Mykhailiuk
Payton Pritchard
Jordan Walsh
Xavier Tillman
Jaden Springer

2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Neemias Queta

Injuries/Out
Jrue Holiday (shoulder) out
Kristaps Porzingis (hamstring) probable
Jaylen Brown (ankle) questionable
Sam Hauser (ankle) out
Al Horford (rest) out
Jayson Tatum (ankle) questionable

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

PG: Cade Cunningham
SG: Jaden Ivey
SF: Simone Fontecchio
PF: Isaiah Stewart
C: Jalen Duren

Pistons Reserves
Troy Brown, Jr
Malachi Flynn
Evan Fournier
Taj Gibson
Marcus Sasser
Stanley Umude
James Wiseman

Two Way Players
Buddy Boeheim
Jared Rhoden
Tosan Evbuomwan

Injuries/Out
Ausar Thompson (illness) out
Quentin Grimes (knee) out
Simone Fontecchio (toe) questionable
Cade Cunningham (knee) questionable

Head Coach
Monty Williams

Key Matchups

Jrue Holiday vs Cade Cunningham
Cunningham is averaging 22.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game. He is shooting 45% from the field and 35% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics, Cunningham finished with 31 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks while shooting 54.5% from the field and 66.7% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to defend him better in this game.

Derrick White vs Jaden Ivey
Ivey is averaging 15.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. He is shooting 43.4% from the field and 32.9% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics, Ivey finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block while shooting 53.3% from the field and 60% from beyond the arc. As with Cunningham, the Celtics need to do a better job of defending him in this game.

Honorable Mention
Kristaps Porzingis vs Jalen Duren
Duren is averaging 14.1 points, 12.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. He is shooting 63.7% from the field and is not a threat to shoot from 3. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 15 points, 14 rebounds and 2 assists while shooting 83.3% from the field. The Celtics need to defend him better in this game and also keep him off the boards.

Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense will always be key to winning every game. The Celtics are 2nd in the league with a 110.4 defensive rating while the Pistons are 27th with a defensive rating of 118.5. The Pistons are 22nd in the league, averaging 112.1 points per game. They have a 111.5 defensive rating for March (7th) and they are coming off a game in which they lost by just 4 points to the Heat. It took overtime for the Celtics to beat them at home in their first meeting. The Celtics have to come into this game with the mindset that they need to play tough defense and not underestimate the Pistons, who have a lot of young and hungry players.

Rebound - Rebounding is important to give the Celtics extra possessions and to limit possessions for their opponents. The Celtics are averaging 46.9 rebounds per game (2nd) while the Pistons are averaging 44 rebounds (12th). Over their last 5 games, the Pistons have 78 more rebounds their opponents. In their first meeting, the Pistons out-rebounded the Celtics 57-43 and the Celtics have to do better in this game. Rebounding takes effort and the Celtics need to give extra effort to beat the Pistons to rebounds. When they show extra effort on the boards, it often shows up in other areas of the game as well.

Be Aggressive - The Celtics can’t come into the game expecting an easy game and to be able to take it easy on both ends of the court because the Pistons are at the bottom of the league. They have to come in and be aggressive on defense, on taking the ball to the basket, on diving for loose balls, on rebounding and on playing as a team. If they allow the Pistons to play harder than them they may just be surprised with a loss. They can’t underestimate the Pistons and have to play hard and give it their all for 48 minutes.

Reserve Play - Both teams are playing on the second night of back to back games. the Pistons game went down to the wire while the Celtics game was pretty much over at the half. Both teams will be depending on their reserves to get through this game. The Celtics may be short handed and that would put even more pressure on the reserves to perform well.

X-Factors
Back to Back at Home - The Celtics are back at home and they need come out ready to protect home court. Young teams often struggle on the road and hopefully the Garden will be loud and will be able to distract the young Pistons team who also have to face the distractions of travel. The Celtics will possibly be short handed and so every player has to step up their game, even against the team at the bottom of the East. Too often we have seen the Celtics relax and let up and lose to teams they should absolutely beat.

Officiating - Officiating is always an x-factor. Every crew calls the game differently. Some call it tight and call every bit of contact while others allow more physical play. Some favor the home team while others call both sides evenly. The Celtics have to adjust to the way the refs are calling the game and not allow the no calls and bad calls to affect their focus on playing the game.

And make sure to check out CelticsBlog’s Playback stream for a live conversation about the game. To participate, just create a free account, connect your LP sub if you have it, and join our community!

The Celtics look for their league best 12th straight win as they take on the Cavaliers in Cleveland.

The Celtics visit the Cavaliers for the third and final game between these two teams this season. The Celtics won the first game 120-112 on 12/12 and they won the 2nd game 116-107 on 12/14. Both of those games were in Boston. The Cavaliers won the series last season 3-1 with the Celtics losing both games in Cleveland and one of the games in Boston and their lone win was in Boston.

Cleveland has won 11 of its last 14 home games since Jan. 3rd, marking the 4th-best home winning percentage in the NBA over that span (2nd-best in the East). The Celtics have won their last 8 road games, with their last road loss coming January 11 at Milwaukee. The Celtics are 139-86 all time overall against the Cavaliers and they are 55-59 in games played in Cleveland. The Celtics have lost 5 of the last 6 games they played at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

The Celtics are 1st in the East, 8 games ahead of 2nd place Milwaukee, 9 games ahead of 3rd place Cleveland, 12.5 games ahead of 4th game New York, 13 games ahead of 5th place Philadelphia, and 13.5 games ahead of 6th place Orlando. They are 19-9 on the road and 10-0 in their last 10 games. They are 33-6 against Eastern Conference teams and have won 11 straight games.

The Cavaliers are 3rd in the East, 9 games behind 1st place Boston, 1 game behind 2nd place Milwaukee, 3.5 games ahead of 4th place New York, 4 games ahead of 5th place Philadelphia, 4.5 games ahead of 6th place Orlando and 5 games ahead of 7th place Miami. They are 20-11 at home and 5-5 in their last 10 games. They are 26-15 against Eastern Conference teams and they are coming off a loss in their last game.

The Celtics just finished up a 3-0 home stand including a 52 point win over the Warriors. This is the first game of a 5 game road trip that will take them through Denver, Phoenix, Portland, and Utah. They have one game at home against Phoenix before playing at Washington and then back home against Detroit and Milwaukee before another 6 game road trip.

Cleveland is coming off a home loss to the Knicks and they are playing their second straight home game. After this game they will play at Atlanta and then back home for a 3 game home stand against Minnesota, Brooklyn, and Phoenix. Then a 3 game road trip through New Orleans, Houston and Indiana. Then, one game at home against Miami and then Minnesota and Miami on the road.

Jaylen Brown has been added to the injury report with a left knee contusion. Kristaps Porzingis remains on the report with a quad contusion. Both are questionable and will be a game time decision. Neemias Queta is out with a knee injury. If Jaylen is out, Sam Hauser will likely get the start and if Porzingis is out, then Al Horford will likely start at center once again.

For the Cavaliers, Donovan Mitchell is out after getting an injection to deal with a bone bruise on his knee. He will miss the next 3 games. Ty Jerome is out after having arthroscopic surgery on his ankle. Max Strus is out with a right knee strain. Caris LeVert is questionable with an elbow injury that has kept him out of the last 2 games. If he can play, he will likely move into the starting lineup. Isaac Okoro is also questionable with an elbow injury. If he can’t play, then Georges Niang will likely start.

Probable Celtics Starters

Celtics Reserves
Oshae Brissett
Sam Hauser
Al Horford
Luke Kornet
Svi Mykhailiuk
Payton Pritchard
Jordan Walsh
Xavier Tillman
Jaden Springer

2 Way Players
JD Davison
Neemias Queta
Drew Peterson

Injuries/Out
Jaylen Brown (knee) questionable
Kristaps Porzingis (quad) questionable
Neemias Queta (knee) out

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Probable Cavaliers Starters

Cavaliers Reserves
Sharife Cooper
Damian Jones
Georges Niang
Craig Porter, Jr
Tristan Thompson
Dean Wade

Two Way Players
Emoni Bates
Isaiah Mobley
Pete Nance

Injuries/Out
Ty Jerome (ankle) out
Donovan Mitchell (knee) out
Max Strus (knee) out
Isaac Okoro (elbow) questionable
Caris LeVert (elbow) questionable

Head Coach
JB Bickerstaff

Key Matchups

Jrue Holiday vs Darius Garland
Garland is averaging 18.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He is shooting 45.9% from the field and 37.7%from beyond the arc. Against the Celtics this season, he averaged 22.5 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists and 1.5 steals. He shot 45.2% from the field and 46.7% from beyond the arc. Slowing him down will be key to winning this game.

Jayson Tatum vs Evan Mobley
Mobley is averaging 15.9 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game. He is shooting 58.3% from the field and 32.4% from beyond the arc. He didn’t play in the first 2 games against the Celtics. He is a good defender and shot blocker and could make things difficult for the Celtics. He also is a good rebounder and the Celtics will need to box out to keep him off the boards.

Honorable Mention
Kristaps Porzingis (or Al Horford) vs Jarrett Allen

Allen is averaging 15.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 blocks per game. He is shooting 63.3% from the field and is not a threat to shoot 3’s. Against the Celtics this season, he averaged 11 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block and 1.5 steals per game. He shot 62.5% from the field but didn’t take a three.

Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense is always a key to winning games. The Cavaliers are a good defensive team with a 110.6 defensive rating, which is 3rd in the league, right behind the Celtics, who have a defensive rating of 110.2, which is 2nd. The Celtics must make defense a priority in this game and they have to play that tough defense for 48 minutes and not let up. The Cavs are going to play good defense and so the Celtics will need to match or exceed their defensive intensity because it will likely be harder to score against a tough Cavs defensive effort.

Rebound - Next to defense, rebounding is a key to winning. Much of rebounding is effort and desire and when the Celtics put out the extra effort on the boards, it usually carries through to the rest of their game. The Celtics are averaging 47.1 rebounds per game (1st) while the Cavs are averaging 44.8 rebounds per game (7th). The Celtics need to aggressively go after every rebound.

Effort and Focus for 48 Minutes - The Celtics need to stay focused for 48 minutes. They have to play with effort. The Cavs play hard and so the Celtics need to match that effort and play even harder. The team that plays harder and is more aggressive is usually the team that comes out on top. The Celtics also have to stay focused. They have to focus on taking good shots and making them. They also have to keep that effort and focus up for 48 minutes with no let up and no collapse.

Don’t Get Complacent - The Celtics are coming off a 52 point thrashing of the Warriors. They are first in the league, 8 games ahead of the 2nd place Bucks. They are playing a Cavs team without their best player and with a couple other players out as well. The Celtics need to come out ready to play their best and not play down to a short handed Cavs team and not think they can coast to a win without giving a strong team effort.

X-Factors
On the Road - The Celtics are playing on the road and will need to stay focused in spite of the distractions of travel and playing in front of a hostile crowd. Cavs fans really do not like the Celtics. The Celtics are beginning a 5 game road trip and hopefully they can start it off with a win.

Injuries - Both teams are dealing with injuries and the starting lineups are up in the air. Needless to say, the Celtics will have it much easier if Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis can play. If they are out, it has to be next man up to take up the slack. The Cavs also have a couple of question marks in the starting lineup, depending on whether Okoro is out and whether LeVert can come back.

Officiating - Officiating is always an x-factor. Every crew calls the game a little differently with some calling it tight and others letting them play. Complaining to the refs about bad calls just seems to make it worse and the Celtics seem to be getting better about that recently. The Celtics have to adjust to how the game is being called and focus on the game and not on the officials.

And make sure to check out CelticsBlog’s Playback stream for a live conversation about the game. To participate, just create a free account, connect your LP sub if you have it, and join our community!

The Celtics look to win their 10th straight game as they host the Dallas Mavericks.

The Celtics host the Dallas Mavericks for the second of a 3 game home stand. This is the second, and final, game between these two teams this season. The Celtics won the first game 119-110 in Dallas on January 22. The Celtics were 2-0 against the Mavsss last season. They are 46-39 overall all time and 26-16 in games played in Boston.

The Mavericks are a better team than when the Celtics played them in Dallas. They traded away former Celtic Grant Williams, who wasn’t a good fit in Dallas and was not playing well. They brought in PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford, both of whom are good fits for the team and are playing well for their new team. Washington has moved into the starting lineup for them and will try to make things tougher for the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum.

There are a couple of story lines to keep an eye on. First is the return to the Garden of Kyrie Irving. I’m sure he will get his share of boos from the Garden faithful. He famously went out of his way to stomp on the Celtics’ logo as he exited the floor after a Nets win there. Needless to say he has become a player Celtics fans love to hate. Another thing to watch is the clash between two MVP candidates in Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum, assuming that Doncic plays. It’s doubtful that either will win the award, but there are still bragging rights to be had between them.

The Celtics remain 1st in the East, 8 games ahead of 2nd place Cleveland and 3rd place Milwaukee, 12 games ahead of 4th place New York, 13 games ahead of 5th place Philadelphia and 6th place Orlando. The Celtics are 27-3 at home and 9-1 in their last 10 games. They are 13-6 against the Western Conference and have won their last 9 games.

The Mavericks are 7th in the West, half a game behind 5th place New Orleans, 1 game behind 5th place Phoenix, and 4 games behind the 4th place Clippers. They are half a game ahead of 8th place Sacramento, 2 games ahead of the 9th place Lakers, and 7.5 games ahead of 11th place Utah. They are 16-12 on the road and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are 13-7 against the East and are coming off a win in their last game.

The Celtics are playing in the second of a 3 game home stand. They won the first game against Philadelphia and will close out the home stand against Golden State. They will then head out on a 5 game road trip through Cleveland, Denver, Phoenix, Portland and Utah. They then have one game at home against Phoenix before playing Washington on the road.

The Mavericks are playing in the 4th and final game of a 4 game road trip. They are 1-2 so far on the road trip, beating Toronto and losing to Indiana and Cleveland. They will then have a 3 game home stand, hosting Philadelphia, Indiana and Miami before heading back out on the road to visit Detroit and Chicago.

The Celtics once again have no players on the injury list. Maxi Kleber was questionable with a toe injury earlier in the day but is no longer on the injury list so is expected to play. Luka Doncic was added to the injury report with an ankle sprain that he likely tweaked during Wednesday’s game. He participated in shoot around today so that is a sign that he will likely play but his final status will be a game time decision.

Probable Celtics Starters

Celtics Reserves
Oshae Brissett
Al Horford
Luke Kornet
Svi Mykhailiuk
Payton Pritchard
Jordan Walsh
Xavier Tillman
Jaden Springer

2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Neemias Queta

Injuries/Out
None listed

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Probable Mavericks Starters

Mavericks Reserves
Dante Exum
Daniel Gafford
Tim Hardaway, Jr
Jaden Hardy
Derrick Jones, Jr
Maxi Kleber
Markieff Morris
Dwight Powell
Oliver-Maxence Prosper

Two-Way Players
Greg Brown III
AJ Lawson
Brandon Williams

Injuries/Out
Luka Doncic (ankle) questionable

Head Coach
Jason Kidd

Key Matchups

Jrue Holiday vs Luka Doncic
Doncic is averaging 34.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 9.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He is shooting 49.4% from the field and 38% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics he finished with 33 points, 18 rebounds, 13 assists, and 2 steals. He is very tough to defend as he can shoot from pretty much anywhere on the court. If the Celtics can slow him down, it would go a long way toward getting a win. If Doncic can’t play, Tim Hardaway, Jr will likely get the start in his place.

Derrick White vs Kyrie Irving
Irving is averaging 25.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He is shooting 49.5% from the field and 42.5% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 23 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. He shot 45% from the field and 42.9 from beyond the arc. Irving has a grudge against the Celtics for some reason as was very evident after he stomped on Lucky after a game in Boston. He will do his best to beat his former team and the Celtics need to do their best to keep him from doing so.

Honorable Mention
Jayson Tatum vs PJ Washington
Washington was a big addition to the Mavs at the trade deadline.. He is averaging 13.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. He is shooting 44.6% from the field and 32% from beyond the arc. Against the Celtics this season he put up 15 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 block and 2 steals. The Celtics need to keep him out of the paint and off of the boards.

Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense is always the number one key to winning games. The Mavs are averaging 118.9 points per game (7th) while the Celtics average 120.7 points per game (5th). The Mavs are 21st with a defensive rating of 116.6 while the Celtics are 2nd with a defensive rating of 110.6. When the Celtics struggle on offense, they have to be able to stop the other team from scoring. The Celtics need to play tough, lock down defense for the entire game. The Mavericks have players who can put up a lot of points in a hurry if the Celtics don’t play tough team defense.

Rebound - Much of rebounding is effort and the Celtics have to put out extra effort to win the battle of the boards. When they work hard on the boards, it usually follows through to the rest of the game as well. The Celtics are averaging 47.1 rebounds per game (1st) while the Mavs are averaging 42.1 rebounds per game (23rd). The Celtics need to put out extra effort on the boards to keep the Mavs from getting extra possessions and second chance points and to give the same to themselves.

Don’t Get Complacent - The Celtics have been cruising along lately, winning 9 straight games. They also beat the Mavericks in Dallas and so it might be easy for them to become complacent and expect to win without having to play their hardest. But, they can’t relax because every team is capable of beating them if they relax and allow the other team to play harder. This is especially true if Doncic is out for this game because the Celtics have played down to opponents missing key players in the past.

Be Aggressive and Play Hard - The Mavericks win a lot of games by playing harder then their opponents. The Celtics must be aggressive on defense, in going for rebounds, in driving to the basket, in diving for loose balls, and in every aspect of the game. They have to play hard from the opening tip until the final buzzer with no let up. They have to be the team that plays harder because if they let up, the Mavericks will have the advantage. They especially need to play harder in the 3rd quarter as in some games, they tend to let up in that quarter.

X-Factors
Home Game vs Road Fatigue - The Celtics are at home and they should get motivation from playing in front of their fans. The Celtics have had 2 days off while the Mavericks have had just 1 day off since their last game. The Mavs are playing in the final game of a 4 game road trip and that is often a very tough game for teams as they are road weary and looking forward to getting home again.

Officiating - The officiating can always be an x-factor. Every crew calls the game a little differently and teams need to adjust to how the game is being called. Will they call the game tight or will they let them play? The Celtics can’t let the officiating take away their focus and they have to adjust to the way the game is being called. They have to focus on the game and not on the referees and the calls. Recently we have seen several games lost on bad calls at the end of games. The Celtics need to play hard and build a lead and not allow the refs to take the game away on a bad call at the end.

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The Celtics host the Washington Wizards to close out their 7 game home stand.

On the day after an active trade deadline, the Celtics host the Washington Wizards. This is the 7th and final game in a 7 game home stand. This is the 2nd of 4 games between these 2 teams. The Celtics won the first game 126-107 in Washington on October 30. They will meet again in Washington on March 17 and in Boston on April 14. The Celtics are 59-43 overall all time against the Wizards and 36-16 in games played in Boston. Boston won the series 2-1 last season.

The Celtics are 1st in the East, 4.5 games ahead of 2nd place Cleveland, 6.5 games ahead of 3rd place Milwaukee and 4th place New York, 8.5 games ahead of 5th place Philadelphia and 11 games ahead of 6th place Indiana. The Celtics are 24-3 at home and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are 26-6 against other Eastern Conference teams. They have won their last 2 games.

The Wizards are 14th in the East, 2 games ahead of last place Detroit. They are 1 game behind 13th place Charlotte, 8.5 games behind 12th place Toronto, 12.5 games behind 10th place Atlanta and a spot in the play-in games. They are 6-19 on the road, which is actually better than their 3-22 home record, and they are 2-8 in their last 10 games. They are 6-29 against Eastern Conference teams and have lost their last 4 games.

The Celtics are 4-2 so far on their home stand, beating Indiana, New Orleans, Atlanta and Memphis and losing to the Lakers and Clippers. After this final game in the home stand, the Celtics will visit the Heat for a matinee game on Sunday and then face the Nets for a back to back home and home series, first in Boston and then in Brooklyn. They will then visit Chicago and New York before another 3 game home stand against Philadelphia, Dallas, and Golden State.

The Wizards just completed a 4 game home stand where they went 0-4, losing to the Clippers, Miami, Phoenix and Cleveland. They will return home after this one road game in Boston to host Philadelphia before heading out on a 4 game road trip that will take them through Dallas, New Orleans, Denver and Oklahoma City.

Jrue Holiday is no longer on the injury list and should play in this game. However, Jayson Tatum has been added to the list due to an illness. His status will be a game time decision, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him sit this one out. He was present at shoot around so he may be on track to play in this game. If he doesn’t play, I expect Al Horford to start in his place. The Celtics 2 new acquisitions, Xavier Tillman is out due to a knee injury. Jaden Springer is questionable due to just being traded.

For the Wizards, Marvin Bagley III is out due to a low back contusion. With Daniel Gafford traded and Richaun Holmes also out due to just being traded to the Wizards on Thursday, I’m guessing that their two way player, Eugene Omoruyi, will start and Kyle Kuzma may see some minutes at center. Isaiah Livers is out with a hip injury. He was traded to the Wizards on January 14 but has yet to make his debut. Patrick Baldwin is also out due to a sprained right ankle.

Probable Celtics Starters

Celtics Reserves
Oshae Brissett
Sam Hauser
Al Horford
Luke Kornet
Svi Mykhailiuk
Payton Pritchard
Xavier Tillman
Jaden Springer
Jordan Walsh

2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Neemias Queta

Injuries/Out
Xavier Tillman (trade) questionable
Jaden Springer (trade) questionable
Jayson Tatum (illness) questionable

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Probable Wizards Starters

Wizards Reserves
Bilal Coulibaly
Johnny Davis
Anthony Gill
Corey Kispert
Landry Shamet
Delon Wright

Two Way Players
Jared Butler
Jules Bernard
Eugene Omoruyi

Injuries/Out
Marvin Bagley III (back) out
Richaun Holmes (trade) out
Isaiah Livers (hip) 0ut
Patrick Baldwin, Jr (ankle) out

Head Coach
Brian Keefe (interim)

Key Matchups

Jayson Tatum vs Kyle Kuzma
Kuzma is averaging 21.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. He is shooting 45.5% from the field 33.1% from beyond the arc. Against Boston in the first game, he finished with 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. He shot 60% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. Jayson Tatum is questionable and so Al Horford may get the start opposite Kuzma.

Derrick White vs Jordan Poole
Poole is averaging 15.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1 steal per game. He is shooting 40.4% from the field and 29.7% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics he finished with 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block and 3 steals. He shot 45.5% from the field and 20% from beyond the arc.

Honorable Mention
Jaylen Brown vs Deni Avdija
Avdija is averaging 12.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. He is shooting 50.8% from the field and 38.9% from beyond the arc. He is one of the better shooters on the Wizards and so Jaylen needs to slow him down and limit his shots.

Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense is always the key to winning. The Celtics need to defend the paint without letting up on their perimeter defense. The Wizards are 2nd in the league, averaging 55.8 points in the paint per game. They need to make defense their priority and their identity in order to win every game and to win a championship. It will take a lot of effort and dedication from each player to play great team defense along with great individual defense.

Rebound - It’s important for teams to rebound to give themselves extra possessions and to limit their opponents’ possessions. Much of rebounding is effort and hustle and when the Celtics give extra effort and hustle on the boards, it usually translates into the rest of their game. The Celtics are 1st in the league with 47.5 rebounds per game while the Wizards are last in the league with 40.6 rebounds per game. Each player needs to commit to crashing the boards and going after every rebound on both ends of the court.

Be Aggressive - In the past, the Celtics have lost games that they should have won because they allowed teams to play harder and be more aggressive than them. The Celtics must be the more aggressive team on defense, in grabbing rebounds, in going after loose balls, and in taking the ball to the basket for all 48 minutes. They can’t allow the Wizards’ 9-41 record to cause them to come into the game expecting to win without putting out the effort. (See the Lakers Game).

Stay Focused - The Celtics have to stay focused. They have to stay focused on playing the right way, taking and making good shots, playing good defense, boxing out and rebounding, and on having each other’s backs and trusting each other. They also have to focus on making good passes and taking care of the ball because the Wizards are 4th with 18.1 points off turnovers per game. It would be easy to let their focus go in this one but it would be a big mistake on their part.

X-Factors
Home Game - The Celtics are once again at home. They should get a boost from the home crowd and from being in familiar surroundings. The Celtics need to have a sense of urgency at home to protect home court and not expect to win because the Wizards have not been good so far this season. Also the Wizards will have to deal with travel, staying in a hotel, and a hostile crowd and hopefully that will give the Celtics an advantage.

Officiating - Officiating is always an x-factor in every game. Every crew officiates differently. Some call it tight, others let them play. Some favor the home team. Some favor the road team. Some just make bad, head scratching calls as we have seen many times. The Celtics need to adjust to the way the refs call the game and not let bad calls and no calls take them out of the game or affect their focus. They have to stay focused on the game and not on complaining about the officiating.

The Celtics continue their road trip as they take on the Mavericks in Dallas on the second night of back to back games.

The Celtics come into Dallas to take on the Mavericks after playing the Rockets the night before. This is the first of 2 games between these two teams. They will play a second time in Boston on March 1. The Celtics were 2-0 last season. They are 45-39 overall all time and 19-23 in games played in Dallas. This is the second game of a 3 game road trip for the Celtics.

The Celtics attempt 42.6 three pointers per game, which is first in the league. The Mavericks attempt 41.1 three pointers per game, which is second in the league. The Celtics are a little more efficient than the Mavericks, shooting 38.0% (7th) to 36.8 (15th) for the Mavericks. We can expect a lot of 3 pointers flying in this game from both teams. Hopefully the Celtics will be shooting well in this game as at times they have struggled to hit their shots.

The Celtics remain first in the East, 3.5 games ahead of 2nd place Milwaukee, 4 games ahead of 3rd place Philadelphia, 6.5 games ahead of 4th place Cleveland, 7 games ahead of 5th place New York, and 9 games ahead of 6th place Miami. The Celtics are 13-9 on the road and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are 10-4 against Western Conference opponents and they are coming off a win in their last game.

The Mavericks are 6th in the West and currently sit in the final guaranteed playoff spot. They are half a game behind 5th place New Orleans and 6 games behind first place Minnesota. They are half a game ahead of 7th place Sacramento and 8th place Portland in the play in spots. They are 3.5 games ahead of 11th place Houston and falling out of the playoff picture completely.

The Celtics are playing in the 2nd game of a 3 game road trip. They are playing on the second night of back to back games and played in Houston on Sunday. The Celtics are 5-2 on the second night of back to back games and they are 1-1 when the games are both on the road. They will complete the trip in Miami on Thursday. They then return home for a 7 game home stand against the Clippers, Pelicans, Pacers, Lakers, Grizzlies, Hawks, and Wizards.

The Mavericks’ last game was a loss to the Lakers on Wednesday. Their game against the Warriors was postponed and so they have had 4 days off since they last played. This is the first of a 2 game home stand for them. They will host the Suns on Wednesday and then play at Atlanta on Friday before hosting Sacramento and Orlando back to back at home.

Jrue Holiday and Al Horford should be back for this game after missing Sunday’s game in Houston. Kristaps Porzingis is out due to right knee inflammation. I’m guessing that Horford will get the start. For the Mavericks, Seth Curry is questionable after spraining his ankle in practice on Sunday. Dante Exum is doubtful with a plantar fascia sprain. He practiced Sunday but both Exum and Curry are listed as a game time decision.

Probable Celtics Starters

Celtics Reserves
Delano Banton
Oshae Brissett
Sam Hauser
Luke Kornet
Svi Mykhailiuk
Payton Pritchard
Lamar Stevens
Jordan Walsh

2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Neemias Queta

Injuries/Out
Kristaps Porzingis (knee) out

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Probable Mavericks Starters

Rockets Reserves
Josh Green
Jaden Hardy
Richaun Holmes
Maxi Kleber
Markieff Morris
Dwight Powell
Oliver-Maxence Prosper
Grant Williams

Two-Way Players
Greg Brown III
AJ Lawson
Brandon Williams

Injuries/Out
Seth Curry (ankle) questionable
Dante Exum (heel) doubtful

Head Coach
Jason Kidd

Key Matchups

Jrue Holiday vs Luka Doncic
Doncic is averaging 33.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He is shooting 48.5% from the field and 36.7% from beyond the arc. He is very tough to defend as he can shoot from pretty much anywhere on the court. If the Celtics can slow him down, it would go a long way toward getting a win.

Derrick White vs Kyrie Irving
Irving is averaging 25.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He is shooting 47.3% from the field and 42.0% from beyond the arc. Irving has a grudge against the Celtics for some reason as was very evident after he stomped on Lucky after a game in Boston. He will do his best to beat his former team and the Celtics need to do their best to keep him from doing so.

Honorable Mention
Jaylen Brown vs Tim Hardaway, Jr
Hardaway is averaging 18.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. He is shooting 41.8% from the field and 36.2% from beyond the arc. The Celtics are going to need a big game from Jaylen Brown on both ends of the court.

Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense is always the number one key to winning games. The Mavs are averaging 118.5 points per game (7th) while the Celtics average 120.4 points per game (4th). The Mavs are 19th with a defensive rating of 116.5 while the Celtics are 2nd with a defensive rating of 110.6. When the Celtics struggle on offense, they have to be able so stop the other team from scoring. The Celtics need to play tough, lock down defense for the entire game. If they play lax defense to start they are liable to dig themselves a hole that they won’t get out of. They have to defend from the opening tip until the final buzzer.

Rebound - Much of rebounding is effort and the Celtics have to put out extra effort to win the battle of the boards. When they work hard on the boards, it usually follows through to the rest of the game as well. The Celtics are averaging 47.3 rebounds per game (1st) while the Mavs are averaging 41.9 rebounds per game (24th). The Celtics need to put out extra effort on the boards to keep the Mavs from getting extra possessions and second chance points and to give the same to themselves.

Stay Focused - The Celtics need to come into the game focused on taking good shots and hitting them. They have to focus on making good passes and not get sloppy with the ball. The Mavericks score 17.3 points off turnovers per game while at the same time being 1st in the league in taking care of the ball, committing just 12.2 turnovers themselves. The Celtics also have to focus on taking care of the ball when dribbling and not make careless unforced errors. They have to focus on playing good team basketball.

Be Aggressive and Play Hard - The Mavericks win a lot of games by playing harder then their opponents. The Celtics must be aggressive on defense, in going for rebounds, in driving to the basket, in diving for loose balls, and in every aspect of the game. They have to play hard from the opening tip until the final buzzer with no let up. They have to be the team that plays harder because if they let up, the Mavericks will have the advantage. They especially need to play harder in the 3rd quarter as in recent games, they have been getting outplayed in that frame.

X-Factors
Road Fatigue - The Celtics are playing their 2nd straight game on the road and on the second night of back to back games with travel in between. They need to keep their focus on playing the right way and not let the distractions of the road take away that focus. With the travel and playing in different time zones and arenas, it would be understandable if the Celtics were a bit tired. They need to dig down deep and match the energy of the Mavs who are home and have had 4 days off.

Former Celtics - It always seems like former Celtics play extra hard against their old team and they seem to have good games against them. The Mavericks have not one, but two former Celtics and one of those has a particular dislike for his former team. Kyrie Irving would very much love to bury the Celtics and I’m sure Grant Williams feels he wasn’t given a fair shake as his playing time diminished at the end of his time in Boston. Limiting those two players especially will be important for the Celtics to get a win.

Officiating - The officiating can always be an x-factor. Every crew calls the game a little differently and teams need to adjust to how the game is being called. Will they call the game tight or will they let them play? The Celtics can’t let the officiating take away their focus and they have to adjust to the way the game is being called and not spend so much time complaining about no calls or bad calls. They have to focus on the game and not on the referees and the calls.

And make sure to check out CelticsBlog’s Playback stream for a live conversation about the game. To participate, just create a free account, connect your LP sub if you have it, and join our community!

The Celtics look for their 4th straight win as they host the Denver Nuggets.

The Celtics host the Denver Nuggets in their second straight home game. This is the first of 2 games between these two teams this season. They will play one more time on March 7 in Denver, where the Nuggets have a very unique mile high home court advantage. They were 1-1 last season with each team winning on their home court. The Celtics are 58-38 overall all time against the Nuggets and they are 38-9 in games played in Boston.

The Celtics remain first in the East. They are 4 games ahead of 2nd place Milwaukee, 5 games ahead of 3rd place Philadelphia, 7 games ahead of 4th place Cleveland and 8 games ahead of 5th place New York and 6th place Miami. They are 20-0 at home and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are 9-3 against Western Conference opponents. They have won their last 3 games.

The Nuggets are 3rd in the West. They are 2 games behind first place Minnesota and tied with 2nd place Oklahoma City, who own the tie breaker. They are 1 game ahead of the 4th place Clippers, 3 games ahead of 5th place New Orleans, and 4 games ahead of 6th place Sacramento. They are 11-10 on the road and 6-4 in their last 10 games. They are 11-4 against Eastern Conference teams. They are coming off a loss in their last game.

The Celtics are playing in their 2nd straight home game, after alternating home and road games over their previous 5 games. They will start a 3 game road trip on Sunday that will take them through Houston and Dallas back to back and then into Miami. They will then return home for a 7 game home stand where they will host the Clippers, Pelicans, Pacers, Lakers, Grizzlies, Hawks, and Washington.

The Nuggets are playing in the 2nd game of a 5 game road trip. They started the trip with a loss to the 76ers in Philadelphia. After this game against the Celtics, they will ply in Washington, Indiana and New York to finish out the road trip. They will then head home to play Philadelphia and then Milwaukee before heading out on the road once again.

Derrick White and Kristaps Porzingis missed Wednesday’s game but at this time, there is no one on the Celtics injury report. For the Nuggets, Vlatko Cancar is out for the season after tearing his ACL while playing for the Slovenian National team in the off season. Julian Strawther will miss his 7th game with a right knee contusion. Aaron Gordon is listed as probable with shoulder soreness.

Probable Celtics Starters

Celtics Reserves
Delano Banton
Oshae Brissett
Sam Hauser
Al Horford
Luke Kornet
Svi Mykhailiuk
Payton Pritchard
Lamar Stevens
Jordan Walsh

2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Neemias Queta

Injuries/Out
None

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Probable Nuggets Starters

Nuggets Reserves
Christian Braun
Justin Holiday
Reggie Jackson
DeAndre Jordan
Zeke Nnaji
Jalen Pickett
Hunter Tyson
Peyton Watson

2 Way Players
Collin Gillespie
Jay Huff
Braxton Key

Out/Injuries
Vlatko Cancar (knee) out
Julian Strawther (knee) out
Aaron Gordon (shoulder) probable

Head Coach
Michael Malone

Key Matchups

Kristaps Porzingis vs Nikola Jokic
Jokic is has won back to back MVP’s and is in the conversation for MVP every season for a reason. He is averaging 25.5 points, 11.9 rebounds, 9.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He is shooting 58.1% from the field and 34.5% from beyond the arc. He is a handful and the Celtics need to try to slow him down by any means necessary.

Jrue Holiday vs Jamal Murray
Murray is averaging 20.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 6.5 assists. He is shooting 47.7% from the field and 41.0% from beyond the arc. The Celtics will need Jrue Holiday to continue to play well on both ends of the court and they need to defend Murray very well as he can put up points in a hurry.

Honorable Mention
Jaylen Brown vs Michael Porter, Jr
Porter is averaging 16.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. He is shooting 48.2% from the field and 40.6% from beyond the arc. Brown has been playing very well on both ends of the court and the Celtics are going to need him to continue that in this game to give themselves a chance to win. Porter is a very good 3 point shooter and so they have to stay with him on the perimeter.

Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense is the key to winning every game. The Celtics are 2nd with a defensive rating of 110.4 The Nuggets have a defensive rating of 112.0, which is 20th. The Celtics average 118.7 points per game (2nd), while the Nuggets average 113.5 points per game (12th). The Celtics need to continue to make defense a priority, especially against the Nuggets, who are shooting 49.9% from the field as a team (4th) and 37.9% from beyond the arc (9th) as a team.

Rebound - Rebounding is another key to winning every game. The Celtics are 1st in the league, averaging 47.5 rebounds per game. The Nuggets are 13th in the league with 43.8 rebounds per game. Rebounding takes effort and the Celtics have to work harder to grab rebounds to limit the Nuggets second chance points and fast breaks. The Celtics can’t allow the Nuggets to outwork them on the boards.

Effort and Energy for 48 Minutes - The Celtics must be the more aggressive team. They have to fight for loose balls, defend aggressively, be aggressive in driving to the basket, and just play harder than the Nuggets for the entire game. They have to be the team that wants it more and play like it. They especially have to begin the game with energy and not allow the Nuggets to race out to a big lead and they can’t let up throughout the game. They especially have to come out strong in the 3rd quarter and play hard until the final buzzer. .

Move the Ball Carefully - The Celtics need to keep moving the ball to find the open man and make it much harder to guard them. However, they have to be careful with their passes and not turn the ball over as the Nuggets average 16.1 points per game off turnovers. The Celtics also need to be careful when they dribble the ball and not drive into a crowd and turn the ball over.

X-Factors
Home Game - The Celtics are once again home and they should get a boost from the home crowd. This is their second straight home game so they have the benefit of not having to travel also. The Nuggets are playing in the 2nd game of a 5 game road trip and may be getting road weary, although they have had 2 days off since their last game. They also have the distactions of travel, staying in hotels, and playing in front of a hostile crowd. And, they are playing without the help of their mile high atmosphere.

Officiating - I know that I say this every game, but the officiating can always be an x-factor. Every crew calls the game differently whether they call every little ticky tack foul or they let a lot of contact go and let the teams play. The refs seem to be quick to call techs and assorted odd infractions this season. We have already seen games where the officiating made a difference in the outcome, both good and bad. The Celtics have got to adjust to the way the game is being called and not let the calls affect their focus or their play.

And make sure to check out CelticsBlog’s Playback stream for a live conversation about the game. To participate, just create a free account, connect your LP sub if you have it, and join our community!