The Celtics look for their 3rd straight win and their 50th win on the season as they host the Brooklyn Nets. This is the 4th, and final, game between these two teams this season. The Celtics won 108-104 in overtime in Boston on November 8. They won the second game 139-114 in Brooklyn on November 13. They also won the third game 115-113 in Brooklyn on March 15. The Celtics won the series 4-0 last season. The Celtics are 144-74 overall all time against the Nets and they are 76-34 all time in games played in Boston.
The Celtics remain 2nd in the East. They are 8.5 games behind 1st place Cleveland, who lost their last game after winning 16 straight. They are 6 games ahead of 3rd place New York and 10.5 games ahead of 4th place Milwaukee. They are 23-12 at home and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are 34-11 against Eastern Conference teams and 9-2 vs Atlantic Division teams. They have won their last 2 games.
The Nets are 13th in the East. They are 33.5 games behind first place Cleveland and they are 5.5 games behind 10th place Chicago, who are in the final play in spot. They are half a game behind 12th place Philadelphia and 7 games ahead of last place Washington They are 12-23 on the road and 2-8 in their last games. They are 13-30 against Eastern Conference teams and 3-9 against the Atlantic Division. They have lost their last 3 games.
The Celtics are back at home after playing in 2 road games, winning in Miami on Friday night and in Brooklyn on Saturday. They then head out on a 6 game Western road trip beginning on Friday in Utah, and continuing through Portland, Sacramento, Phoenix, San Antonio and Memphis. They play 5 of their last 7 games at home, including the final 2 games of the season at home against Charlotte.
The Nets are playing in the first game of a 3 game road trip that will conclude with 2 games in Indiana against the Pacers. After 3 games at home where they will face Dallas, Toronto and the Los Angeles Clippers, they will play 2 games on the road, traveling to Washington and then to Dallas. They will play 5 of their last 6 games at home.
Kristaps returned to the starting lineup on Saturday against these Nets and should remain in the starting lineup for this game. Derrick White was out Saturday with a knee contusion and Al Horford missed Saturday’s game due as it was the second of back to back games. Both Horford and White are off the current injury report. Jaylen Brown left the game on Saturday with back tightness and is out for this game. Jayson Tatum is listed as questionable due to knee soreness. I’m going to guess that Tatum plays but they may put their foot down and make him sit out before the trip out west. I’m guessing that Hauser starts for Brown and, if Tatum sits, Horford will get the start.
The Nets have 4 players on their injury list with 2 of those players listed as probable and 2 listed as out. Nets leading scorer Cam Thomas has been ruled out for the rest of the season due to a hamstring injury. De’Anthony Melton is out for the rest of the season due to surgery to repair his ACL. Noah Clowney (ankle) and Ziaire Williams (Achilles) are both listed as probable.
Probable Celtics Starters
- Jrue Holiday Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images
- Derrick White Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images
- Sam Hauser Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images
- Jayson Tatum Photo by Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images
- Kristaps Porzingis Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images
Celtics ReservesPayton PritchardNeemias QuetaXavier Tillman, SrJordan WalshBaylor ScheiermanTorrey CraigAl Horford
Luke Kornet
2 Way PlayersJD DavisonDrew Peterson
Miles Norris
Injuries/OutJayson Tatum (knee) questionable
Jaylen Brown (back) out
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Probable Nets Starters
- D’Angelo Russell Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images
- Keon Johnson Photo by Jordan Bank/Getty Images
- Cam Johnson Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images
- Ziaire Williams Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
- Nic Claxton Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images
Nets ReservesNoah ClowneyTyrese MartinMaxwell LewisDariq WhiteheadJalen WilsonDay’Ron Sharpe
Trendon Watford
Two Way PlayersReece BeekmanTosan Evbuomwan
Tyson Etienne
Injuries/Out Noah Clowney (ankle) probableZiaire Williams (Achilles) probableDe’Anthony Melton (knee) out
Cam Thomas (hamstring) out
Head Coach
Jordi Fernandez
Key Matchups
- Sam Hauser Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
- Cameron Johnson Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
Sam Hauser vs Cam Johnson
Johnson is averaging 19.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. He is shooting 47.7% from the field and 40.1% from beyond the arc. Against the Celtics in 3 games so far, he averaged 16.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists while shooting 46.3% from the field and 28.6% from beyond the arc. He is a good 3 point shooter and the Celtics need to defend him well on the perimeter.
- Jrue Holiday Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images
- D’Angelo Russell Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images
Jrue Holiday vs D’Angelo Russell
Russell is averaging 12.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He is shooting 40% from the field and 31.8% from beyond the arc. He has played in just one game against the Celtics this season and finished with 11 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists and 1 steal, while shooting 37.5% from the field and 20% from beyond the arc.
Honorable Mention
Kristaps Porzingis vs Nic Claxton
Claxton missed Saturday’s game but is expected to play in this one. He is averaging 10.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 blocks per game. He is shooting 54.9% from the field and 6.3% from beyond the arc. In 2 games against the Celtics this season, he averaged 2.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1 block while shooting 33.3% from the field with no 3 pointers. Porzingis returned on Saturday from his 8 game absence and put up strong numbers against Day’Ron Sharpe at center. Hopefully he can do the same against Claxton, who is a good rebounder and rim protector.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is always the key to winning. The Celtics are 5th in the league with a defensive rating of 110.4. The Nets are 23rd in the league with a defensive rating of 115.5. The Nets are averaging 105.6 points per game (29th). The Celtics are 7th in the league averaging 116.6 points per game. On Saturday, the Nets shot 43.5% from beyond the arc and the Celtics must defend the perimeter better in this game.
Rebound – The Celtics must box out and crash the boards. They can’t score without the ball and it will take extra effort on their part beat the Nets on the boards. The Nets are 28th with 41.1 rebounds per game. The Celtics are 11th with 44.8 rebounds per game. In Saturday’s game, the Celtics were out-rebounded 45-38. The Celtics have to put out more effort to get to the rebounds before the Nets and prevent second and third chance shots.
3 Pointers – The Celtics are 1st in the league, attempting 48.1 threes per game. The Nets are 11th, attempting 38.8 threes per game. The Celtics shoot 36.9% from beyond the arc, while the Nets shoot 34.7% on 3’s. In Saturday’s game, the Nets attempted 46 threes while the Celtics took just 38. More important was the fact that the Nets shot 43.5% from 3 as a team while the Celtics shot just 34.2% from beyond the arc. If the Celtics struggle to hit their 3’s, they must defend the perimeter better and keep the Nets from hitting theirs.
Move the Ball Carefully – The Celtics need to move the ball in order to find the best shot on each possession. When the ball sticks and players try to do too much, the Celtics struggle. They are at their best when they pass the ball and keep it moving. ISO ball is not usually winning ball. On Saturday, the Nets had 34 assists while the Celtics had just 29. The Celtics are 34-2 when they have more assists than their opponent but just 13-16 when they have fewer assists than their opponent. They need to keep the ball moving and find the open man.
X-Factors
Home Game – The Celtics need to feed off the energy of the crowd and hopefully, the Nets will be distracted by travel and the very loud crowd. The Celtics need to take losing on their home court personally and make home court advantage a strength going into the playoffs. The Celtics need to protect home court.
Officiating – The officiating is always an x-factor. Some referees call the game tight and others let them play. Some favor the home team and others call it evenly. Some refs just seem to have an agenda that doesn’t fit the events on the court. At times they miss important calls that change the momentum of the game. The Celtics need to play well enough not to leave the game in the hands of the officials at the end and they can’t let bad calls take away from their focus.
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