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Denver Nuggets (13-6) at Boston Celtics (16-4)
Wednesday, December 8
7:00 PM ET
Game #21, Home Game #11
TV: ESPN, CSNNE, ASE
Radio: WEEI, KCKK
TD Garden Probable Starting Matchups Point Guard vs
Rajon Rondo 11.4 PPG, 14.1 APG, 2.3 SPG
Chauncey Billups 14.8 PPG, 5.2 APG, 1.1 SPG
Shooting Guard vs
Ray Allen 15.9 PPG, 3.1 APG, .421 3P%
Arron Afflalo 12.3 PPG, 2.5 APG, .426 3P%
Small Forward vs
Paul Pierce 19.6 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.7 APG
Carmelo Anthony 23.3 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 3.4 APG
Power Forward vs
Kevin Garnett 15.7 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 0.6 BPG
Shelden Williams 5.6 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 0.7 BPG
Center vs
Shaquille O'Neal 11.9 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 0.6 BPG
Nene Hilario 13.7 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.00 BPG
Boston Bench MobNate Robinson
Glen Davis
Semih Erden
Von Wafer
Avery Bradley
Luke Harangody
Marquis Daniels
InjuriesJermaine O'Neal (knee) out
Kendrick Perkins (knee) out
Delonte West (wrist) out
Rajon Rondo (hamstring, feet) probable
Nate Robinson (foot) probable
Shaquille O'Neal (knee) probable
Denver's Reserves Al Harrington
J.R. Smith
Ty Lawson
Renaldo Balkman
Anthony Carter
Gary Forbes
Melvin Ely
Injuries Kenyon Martin (knee) out
Chris Andersen (back) day to day
Team Connections Shelden Williams played for the Celtics during the 2009‐10 season
Anthony Carter and Kevin Garnett were teammates in Minnesota during the 2004‐05 season.
Chauncey Billups and Kevin Garnett were teammates in Minnesota from
2000‐02
Chauncey Billups was drafted by the Celtics with the 3rd overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft
Von Wafer played for the Nuggets during the 2007‐08 season
Ray Allen played for George Karl in Seattle from 1998‐2003
Nate Robinson and Renaldo Balkman were teammates in New York from 2006‐08
Key Matchups vs
Paul Pierce vs Carmelo Anthony
This is another matchup between two great players. Both are tough and both do whatever their teams need. This will be a fun matchup to watch
vs
Rajon Rondo vs Chauncey Billups
This will be a tough matchup for Rondo if he isn't 100%. Billups is a cagey veteran player and has burned the Celtics in the past. If Rondo can't go, it will be even tougher for Nate.
Honorable Mention Kevin Garnett vs Shelden Williams
Shelden Williams has moved into the starting lineup for Denver and Celtics fans have to be happy for him as he was a fan favorite in Boston. But, don't expect KG to take it easy on him. When the game starts, he is fair game for KG.
Big Baby Davis vs JR Smith
In their two meetings last season, JR Smith came up big for the Nuggets, averaging 20 points in their two meetings. Big Baby has been playing very well and should at least match any contributions from Smith in this game.
Game NotesThe Nuggets make their only trip to TD Garden this season. The Celtics won't play them in Denver until February 24. Last season, the Celtics split the series 1‐1 with each team winning on their home court. Ray Allen led the C’s with an average of 20.5 points per game against the Nuggets while Kevin Garnett added 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Rajon Rondo almost averaged a triple‐double with 13.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 13.0 assists to go along with 3.0 steals per game vs the Nuggets. Carmelo Anthony averaged 27.5 points and 6.5 assists per game while J.R. Smith averaged 20.0 points coming in off the bench for the Nuggets.
The Nuggets are playing in the second of back to back games, having played in Charlotte the night before. The Celtics come into this game rested as they last played on Sunday afternoon. The rest should give both Shaq and Rondo a good chance of being up to playing in this one.
Both teams have been playing well. Going into Charlotte, the Nuggets win streak matches the Celtics 7 game win streak. So, coming into Boston they will either be on an 8 game win streak or looking to start a new streak. Both teams are 8-2 in their last 10 games. The Celtics are 9-1 at home while the Nuggets are 3-5 on the road.
Keys to the Game Defense - I may sound like a broken record, but Defense is the key to every game this season. If they come into every game with the mindset to make defense a priority, they stand a good chance of winning every one. When they slack off on defense, it affects every part of their game.
Rebound - Since much of rebounding is effort and desire, the effort put out on the boards usually indicates how much the team really wants the game. The team that wins the battle of the boards usually comes out on top because the effort needed to out rebound the other team carries across all other areas of the game.
Go to the Hoop- In their 7 game win streak, the Celtics have outscored their opponents by large numbers in the paint. The Celtics must continue to take the ball to the basket and not settle for outside jumpers.
Play 48 Minutes- The Celtics have had a tendency to either start out slow and then play catch up or to let up once they get a lead. That can work against some of the weaker teams but against a tough team like the Nuggets, the Celtics must come out strong and maintain that for 48 minutes.
Move the Ball- When the Celtics move the ball and find the open man, they are very tough to beat. They have so many weapons that they always get a good shot. When the ball movement slows and players try to do too much, it usually ends in a loss.
X-FactorsHome Court and Rust
The Celtics are 9-1 at home and have said that they want to protect their home court this season, something they didn't do last year. They need to continue to make home court an advantage and make the Garden a place to be feared again. When they have a few days off, there is always a chance for there to be some rust to begin with. They need to shake that off and start the game off strong.