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Boston Celtics (23-5) at Los Angeles Clippers (12-17)
Sunday, December 27
9:30 PM ET
Game #29, Road Game #15
TV: CSN-NE, FSNP, NBA LP 758, 759
Radio: WEEI, KFWB
Staples Center Probable Starting MatchupsPoint Guard vs
Rajon Rondo vs Baron Davis
Shooting Guard vs
Ray Allen vs Eric Gordon
Small Forward vs
Tony Allen vs Rasual Butler
Power Forward vs
Kevin Garnett vs Marcus Camby
Center vs
Kendrick Perkins vs Chris Kaman
ReservesRasheed Wallace
Big Baby Davis
Eddie House
Bill Walker
Brian Scalabrine
Shelden Williams
JR Giddens
InjuriesKevin Garnett (back) questionable
Marquis Daniels (thumb) out
Paul Pierce (knee) out
D LeagueLester Hudson
ReservesSebastian Telfair
Al Thornton
Brian Skinner
Craig Smith
Ricky Davis
Mardy Collins
Steve Novak
DeAndre Jordan
InjuriesMarcus Camby (knee) questionable
Blake Griffin (knee) out
Kareem Rush (knee) out
Team Connections Baron Davis and Paul Pierce co-host a charity event called LA Stars during the summer along with Gilbert Arenas
Eddie House played for the Clippers during the 2003-04 season
Doc Rivers played for the Clippers during the 1991-92 season
Marcus Camby played for Tom Thibodeau in New York when he was
an assistant coach from 1998-2002
Ricky Davis played for the Celtics from 2003-06
Armond Hill played for the Clippers when they were in San Diego during the 1981-82 season
Craig Smith and Kevin Garnett were teammates in Minnesota during the 2006-07 season
Sebastian Telfair played for the Celtics during the 2006-07
season
Alex Acker and Rasheed Wallace were teammates in Detroit in the 2005-06 and 2008-09 seasons
Sebastian Telfair, Craig Smith and Shelden Williams were teammates in Minnesota during the 2008-09 season.
Key Matchups vs
Rajon Rondo vs Baron Davis
Baron Davis has slowed some in recent years but he is still one of the NBA's elite point guards. Rondo should be able to use his speed to get the best of this matchup.
vs
Kendrick Perkins vs Chris Kaman
Kaman is leading the Clippers in points at 19.8 per game. It will be up to Perk to slow him down and keep him from getting easy shots.
HonorableMention Kevin Garnett vs Marcus Camby
This key matchup may or may not materialize with both players listed as questionable for this game. Camby hyperextended his knee in a loss vs the Rockets on Tuesday and left after one quarter of the Clipper's Christmas day loss to the Suns. After missing one game with a bruised thigh, KG returned to the Celtics lineup but took a hard fall in the final minutes of the Celtics win in Orlando, hitting his head hard and landing awkwardly on his back. He walked gingerly off the court holding his back and is also listed as questionable for this game. Camby is the Clippers' leading rebounder (11.5) and shot blocker (2.1). Both players are key to their teams' success. Rasheed Wallace would fill in for KG. I'm not sure who would fill in for Camby if he couldn't play.
Game Notes Celtics and Clippers split the season series 1-1 against in 2008-09
Ray Allen led the Celtics with 18.5 points per game last season
Baron Davis averaged 14.5 points per game against the Celtics last year
The Cs are 6-4 against the Clippers since the 2004-05 season
The Celtics are leading the all-time series 81-30 with the Celtics 41-11 at home
Both of these teams played on Christmas day with opposite results. The Celtics are coming off an impressive win, even without the Captain, in Orlando while the Clippers are coming off one of their most lopsided losses of the season in Phoenix. The Celtics are 13-1 on the road while the Clippers are 7-8 at home. The Celtics are 9-1 in their last 10 games and have won 3 in a row. The Clippers on the other hand are 4-6 in their last 10 and have lost 3 in a row.
The Celtics are going for their 10th straight road win, which would match the second longest road win streak in franchise history. The record is 13 straight road wins and 4 teams have made it to 10 in a row. The most recent 10 game road win streak came Nov. 4-Dec. 17, 2008.
The Celtics will be facing 2 former Celtics in this game. Sebastian Telfair and Ricky Davis have both been doing a decent job coming off the bench for the Clippers. Both will have a special interest in getting a win over their old team.
Keys to the GameDefense - The Celtics have been winning with defense and that will be no different in this game. Defense wins games and the Celtics need to continue to make it a priority.
Rebound - The Celtics need to make an effort to crash the boards and get more rebounds, especially on the offensive end. The Clippers are capable of running on the break if the Celtics don't prevent it by keeping them from getting the rebounds.
Focus - The Celtics' focus has been very good on the road. In fact, they have been more focused on the road than they have been at home. Hopefully they will keep this focus through the rest of their current road trip.
X-FactorTrap Game After a big win over the Magic on Christmas day, it would be easy to overlook the Clippers who haven't been playing very well this year. The Celtics shouldn't overlook the Clippers or they could end up losing a game they should win easily.