at
Boston Celtics (40-12) at Miami Heat (28-24)
Sunday, February 11, 2024
2:00 PM ET
TV: ABC
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WQAM/WAQI
Game #53 Road Game #25
Kaseya Center 
Probable Celtics Starters PG
SG
SF
PF
C
PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Derrick White
SF: Jaylen Brown
PF: Jayson Tatum
C: Kristaps Porzingis
Celtics ReservesOshae Brissett
Sam Hauser
Al Horford
Luke Kornet
Svi Mykhailiuk
Payton Pritchard
Jordan Walsh
Xavier Tillman
Jaden Springer
2 Way PlayersJD Davison
Drew Peterson
Neemias Queta
Injuries/OutXavier Tillman (knee) out
Jaden Springer (ankle) out
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Probable Heat Starters PG
SG
SF
PF
C
PG: Terry Rozier
SG: Tyler Herro
SF: Jimmy Butler
PF: Caleb Martin
C: Bam Adebayo
Heat ReservesThomas Bryant
Haywood Highsmith
Jaime Jaquez, Jr
Nikola Jovic
Kevin Love
Josh Richardson
Duncan Robinson
Orlando Robinson
Out/Injuries Jimmy Butler (personal) questionable
Dru Smith (knee) out
Two Way Players Jamal Cain
Cole Swider
Alondes Williams
Head Coach Erik Spoelstra
Game Notes On Super Bowl Sunday, we get a rematch of last year's Eastern Conference Finals. This is the 3rd, and final game, of 3 games between these two teams this season. The Celtics won the first game 119-111 in Boston on October 27 and they won the second game 143-110 in Miami on January 25. The Celtics are 81-53 overall all time and 39-30 in games played in Miami.
The Celtics are first in the East, 4.5 games ahead of 2nd place Cleveland, 6.5 games ahead of 3rd place Milwaukee, 7.5 games ahead of 4th place New York, 9 games ahead of 5th place Philadelphia and 11 games ahead of 6th place Indiana. They are 15-9 on the road and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are 27-6 against Eastern Conference teams and they have won their last 3 games.
The Heat are 8th in the East, 12 games behind 1st place Boston, 3 games behind 5th place Philadelphia, and half a game behind 7th place Orlando. They are 3.5 games ahead of 9th place Chicago and 7 games ahead of 11th place Brooklyn and slipping out of the playoff picture. They are 15-12 at home and 4-6 in their last 10 games. They are 20-15 against Eastern Conference teams and they have won their last 2 games.
The Celtics are playing their first game on the road after a 7 game home stand where they went 5-2, beating New Orleans, Indiana, Memphis, Atlanta and Washington and losing to the Clippers and Lakers. They next have a home and home series beginning at Brooklyn and then playing at home in back to back games. That takes us to the All Star Break.
The Heat are playing in the final game of a 4 game home stand. They are 2-1 so far on their home stand, losing to the Clippers and then beating Orlando and San Antonio. They then have a 6 game road trip that is broken up by the All Star break with games at Milwaukee and Philadelphia coming before the break and New Orleans, Sacramento, Portland and Denver after.
The Celtics have just 2 players on the injury list at this time. Their two new trade deadline acquisitions are both expected to miss this game. Xavier Tillman is out due to a knee injury and Jaden Springer is out due to an ankle injury. For the Heat, Jimmy Butler is questionable for personal reasons but they are hopeful he will be able to play. Dru Smith is out due to a knee sprain.
Key Matchups vs
Jaylen Brown vs Jimmy Butler
Butler is averaging 21.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He is shooting 50% from the field and 44% from beyond the arc. Against the Celtics this season, he averaged 15.5 points, 4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He shot 45.5% from the field and 66.7% from beyond the arc. Butler is capable of putting up big numbers if not defended well and so the Celtics need to be sure to stay with him both on the perimeter and in the paint.
vs
Derrick White vs Tyler Herro
Herro is averaging 20.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game. He is shooting 43.6% from the field and 40.8% from beyond the arc. Against Boston this season, he averaged 23.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal per game. He shot 50% from the field and 45.5% from beyond the arc. Herro can get hot from the outside and so the Celtics especially need to stay with him on the perimeter.
Honorable Mention Kristaps Porzingis vs Bam Adebayo
Adebayo is averaging 20.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block and 1 steal per game. He is shooting 50.9% from the field but just 9.1% from beyond the arc. Against the Celtics this season he averaged 23 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.5 blocks per game. He shot 48.6% from the field and didn't attempt a 3 pointer. The Celtics need to box out and keep him off the boards.
Keys to the Game Defense - Defense is always the biggest key to winning every game. Both of these teams play tough physical defense. The Celtics need to play team defense and they have to make defense a priority. The Celtics are 3rd with a defensive rating of 110.7 while the Heat are 9th with a defensive rating of 113.3. The Celtics allowed the Wizards to score 71 points in the first half of Friday's game and to shoot 42.6% on threes. The Celtics have to show urgency and aggressiveness on defense because the Heat certainly will. If they slack off on defense as they did on Friday, the Heat will come away with a win.
The Heat have 4 starters that average over 20 points per game: Rozier (20.7), Herro (20.9), Butler (21.4) and Adebayo (20.2). The Celtics have just 3 starters that average over 20 points per game: Brown (22.1), Porzingis (20.2) and Tatum (27.0). The Heat have 3 players off their bench that average double figures: Jaquez (13), Richardson (10.1) and Robinson (13). The Celtics have no reserves that average in double figures. The Celtics must play tough lock down defense or they will be outscored by the Heat.
Rebound - As with defense, rebounding will always be a key to winning. Much of rebounding is effort and hustle and when the Celtics put out that extra effort to grab rebounds, it usually translates to other areas of the game as well. The Heat average 42.1 rebounds (23rd)while the Celtics average 47.5 rebounds (1st). The Celtics have to work harder on the boards than the Heat and fight for every rebound.
Urgency and Effort - These are keys to winning most games. If they play with urgency and put out extra effort, they have a good chance of winning the game. The Heat often win their games by playing harder than their opponents. The Celtics have to be the team that plays harder and is more aggressive and plays with more urgency. They can't expect to win this game because they have the best record or because they won the first 2 games between them.
Stay Focused - The Celtics have to stay focused on playing the right way. They have to focus on taking good shots and on making them. They have to focus on making good passes and not being careless with the ball. The have to focus on playing tough defense and not missing defensive assignments. If the 3's aren't falling they need to focus on getting into the paint and to the basket and not shoot themselves out of the game.
X-Factors On the Road - The Celtics are playing on the road after an extended home stand. They need to get past the distractions of travel and being away from their homes and families and they have to keep from being rattled by the hostile crowd. Heat fans will always want to beat the Celtics and I expect them to let the Celtics know that.
Coaching - The Heat have a top 10 coach, who has been with the Heat since 1997 and has been their head coach since 2008. He has two championships as a head coach. This is just Mazzulla's second season as a head coach after being given the job just weeks before last season. Mazzulla won the first two games this season. Hopefully he can lead the Celtics to another win in this game.
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. At times the officials have an agenda all their own. The Celtics need to adjust to how the refs are calling the game and not allow bad calls or no calls to take away their focus from playing the game.
Topic: Celtics (40-12) at Heat (28-24) Game #53 2/11/24 (Read 13020 times)