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Boston Celtics (4-0) at Brooklyn Nets (3-2)
Saturday, November 4, 2023
8:00 pm ET
Regular Season Game #5 Road Game #3
TV: NBCSB, YES, NBA-LP
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, Rock 92.9
Barclays Center 
Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
vs
Jrue Holiday vs Ben Simmons
Shooting Guard 
vs
Derrick White vs Spencer Dinwiddie
Small Forward 
vs
Jaylen Brown vs Cam Thomas
Power Forward 
vs
Jayson Tatum vs Mikal Bridges
Center 
vs
Kristaps Porzingis vs Dorian Finney-Smith
Celtics ReservesDelano Banton
Oshae Brissett
Sam Hauser
Al Horford
Luke Kornet
Svi Mykhailiuk
Payton Pritchard
Lamar Stevens
Jordan Walsh
2 Way PlayersJD Davison
Nathan Knight
Neemias Queta
Injuries/OutNeemias Queta (foot) doubtful
Derrick White (personal) out
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Nets Reserves Noah Clowney
Harry Giles III
Royce O'Neale
Day'Ron Sharpe
Dennis Smith, Jr
Lonnie Walker IV
Trendon Watford
Two Way Players Keon Johnson
Armoni Brooks
Jalen Wilson
Injuries/Out Nic Claxton (ankle) doubtful
Cam Johnson (calf) out
Draiq Whitehead (foot) out
Head Coach Jacque Vaughn
Game Notes The Celtics begin a 3 game road trip with a game at the Barclays Center against the Brooklyn Nets. This is the first of 4 games between these two teams this season. They will meet in one week in Boston on November 10 for the Celtics first in season tournament game. They will meet again in Brooklyn on February 12 and then they will play in Boston the next night on February 14.
Last season, the Celtics won the series 3-1. They won 1 game in Boston and two games in Brooklyn but lost the final game of the series in Boston. The Celtics are 137-73 overall all time against the Nets. They are 64-40 in games that were played on the road for the Celtics. The Celtics have won the last 4 meetings between these two teams in Brooklyn.
This is the first game of a 3 game road trip for the Celtics. They will play in Minnesota on November 6 and then in Philadelphia on November 8. They will then return home to face these same Nets. This is the first of a 3 game home stand for the Nets. They will face the Bucks and then the Clippers and then visit the Celtics in Boston on November 10. This is the second of back to back games for the Nets. They played in Chicago on Friday for the first of their in season tournament games. The Celtics have been off since Wednesday.
Two Way player Neemias Queta is once again on the injury list for the Celtics with a foot injury. He is listed as doubtful. Derrick White has been added to the list for personal reasons. I don't know if Mazzulla will go with double bigs and start Al or if he will just start one of the other wings so I'll just leave Derrick there for now. The Nets have 3 players out. Starting center Nic Claxton listed as doubtful with an ankle sprain. Cam Johnson is listed as out with a calf injury. Dariq Whitehead is out as he rehabs from off season foot surgery.
Key Matchups vs
Jaylen Brown vs Cam Thomas
Thomas is averaging 28 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He is shooting 51.3% from the field and 30% from beyond the arc. Jaylen Brown has been playing well and he will need to continue to do so on both ends of the court.
vs
Jayson Tatum vs Mikal Bridges
Mikal Bridges is averaging 20.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He is shooting 50% from the field and 31.6% from beyond the arc. He is also a good defender and will try to make things difficult for Jayson Tatum, who has been playing very well.
Honorable Mention Kristaps Porzingis vs Dorian Finney-Smith
Finney-Smith is averaging 14 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists. He is shooting 55.3% from the field and 48.1% from beyond the arc. He is shooting very well, especially from the perimeter. Kristaps Porzingis has a big height advantage, which could slow Finney-Smith down somewhat.
Keys to the Game Defense - Defense is always a key to winning. The Celtics have climbed to 5th in the league with a defensive rating of 104.7. The Nets are 23rd league the league with a defensive rating of 114.3. The Nets are a good offensive team with an offensive rating of 115.6 (6th). After their 155 points against the Pacers, the Celtics are first in the league with an offensive rating of 124.8. The Celtics have to especially guard the perimeter as the Nets are 2nd in 3 point Percentage with 41.7% and they are first in corner 3 percentage at 48.9%. The Celtics need to get a strong defensive effort from every player on the court and they need to make defense a priority throughout the 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 2nd with a rebounding percentage of 54%. The Nets have out rebounded their opponents in each of their games so far and so the Celtics have to put out more effort to get to the rebounds before the Nets and give themselves extra possessions and prevent the Celtics from getting the same.
Every Game Counts - Last season the Celtics tended to play down to competition and let up against the bottom teams and teams without their stars. The Celtics have to take every game seriously and not underestimate any opponent. The Nets may have 2 starters out for this game and they are playing back to back, but they still have plenty of talent on the team to beat the Celtics if they come into the game without a killer instinct.
Play Hard 48 Minutes - The Celtics have to start out strong and play hard for 48 minutes, right up until the final buzzer. There have been several teams, the Nets included that have come back from big deficits already this season. The Nets, missing 3 starters, came back from 16 down to beat the Heat. The Celtics can't let the Nets build a lead and they can't let up if they can build a lead.
X-Factors Road Game and Fatigue - The Nets are playing on the second night of back to back after playing a tough in season tournament game in Chicago on Friday. Their starters all played more than 30 minutes and the game came down to the final shot. The Nets also had to travel after that game so fatigue could be a factor for them. The Celtics will be playing in front of a hostile crowd and have the distractions of playing on the road. The Celtics need to focus on the game and not on the distractions of travel and playing in an unfamiliar arena in front of hostile fans.
Officiating - The officiating is always an x-factor. Sometimes a crew will call the game tight and blow a whistle on every play. Other times they will let them play and let the game get physical. The Celtics need to adjust to the way the game is called and not let missed calls or bad calls affect their focus. If the calls are bad, they just need to play harder to make up for them and not waste time arguing with the officials.
Topic: Celtics (4-0) at Nets (3-2) Game #5 11/4/23 (Read 12132 times)