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Boston Celtics (7-5) at Brooklyn Nets (2-11)
Sunday, November 22, 2015
6:00 pm ET
Game #13, Road Game #5
TV: CSNNE, YES, NBA-LP 751(DTV)/753(xfinity)
98.5 Sports Hub, WFAN
Barclays Center
Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard vs
Isaiah Thomas vs Jarrett Jack
Shooting Guard vs
Avery Bradley vs Rondae Hollis Jefferson
Small Forward vs
Jae Crowder vs Joe Johnson
Power Forward vs
Amir Johnson vs Thaddeus Young
Center vs
Jared Sullinger vs Brook Lopez
Celtics ReservesEvan Turner
RJ Hunter
Jonas Jerebko
David Lee
Jordan Mickey
Terry Rozier
James Young
Tyler Zeller
Kelly Olynyk
Head CoachBrad Stevens
InjuriesMarcus Smart (leg) out
Evan Turner (knee) probable
Nets ReservesAndrea Bargnani
Bojan Bogdanovic
Markel Brown
Wayne Ellington
Sergey Karasev
Shane Larkin
Thomas Robinson
Donald Sloan
Head CoachLionel Hollins
Injuries Chris McCullough (knee) out
Willie Reed (thumb) out
Game Notes The Celtics visit the Brooklyn Nets to complete the home and home set that began with a 120-95 Celtics win in Boston. These same two teams will have another home and home set on 1/2/15 and 1/4/15.
The Nets won the last game they played at the Barclays Center 90-88 over the Atlanta Hawks and are 1-3 at home. The Celtics are 3-1 on the road and are looking for their second straight win over the Nets and their 3rd win in 4 tries.
Before the Celtics 25 point blowout win over the Nets on Friday, Brooklyn's last 7 games were decided by single digits. Their previous 5 games were within 5 points in the final 2 minutes of the game, including their wins over Houston and Atlanta. The Celtics have already beaten the Nets twice in the preseason plus the regular season win on Friday.
Marcus Smart left the Celtics game on Friday with a leg injury and has been ruled out for this game as well as Tuesday's game against the Hawks. Evan Turner, who also had an MRI on his knee traveled with the team and is probable to play.
Terry Rozier and James Young have both been recalled from the Red Claws and will be with the team for added depth should they be needed. I'm going to guess that Avery Bradley will move into the starting lineup in the place of Marcus Smart, but that's just a guess.
b]Key Matchups [/b]
vs
Isaiah Thomas vs Jarrett Jack
Jack is averaging 14.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 7.5 assists. Jack is 4th in the league in assists and 9th in assist to turnover ratio. He only scored 11 points on 3-8 shooting in Friday's game and the Celtics need to continue to defend him well as he has given the Celtics problems in the past.
vs
Jared Sullinger vs Brook Lopez
Lopez is averaging a team best 19.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks. Sully needs to be able to keep him away from the basket and away from his preferred spots on offense, which he did in Friday's game, keeping him to 14 points on 5-8 shooting along with 7 rebounds.
Honorable Mention Amir Johnson vs Thaddeus Young
Young is averaging 15.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists. In Friday's game he scored 14 points to go with 10 rebounds, including 3 on the offensive end. Amir needs to box him out to keep him off the boards and keep him from getting hot on offense.
Bench vs Bench
The Celtics depth is one of their biggest strengths. It has taken a hit with Marcus Smart being out but they still should have the advantage. The Celtics reserves must outplay their counterparts on the Nets.
Keys to the Game Defense - The Celtics need to continue to play their brand of stifling team defense. Hopefully the referees will be better in this game and allow them to play. Defense wins games and the Celtics' defense will be key to getting this win.
Rebound - In the 8 games before their game vs Boston, the Nets have outscored opponents 116-73 in second chance points. They are averaging 14.5 second chance points per game. The Celtics have to crash the boards and win the rebounding battle to limit the Nets' second chance points as well as to give themselves extra possessions.
Run and Move the Ball - The Celtics need to run on every possession and they need to keep the ball moving. When they run and move the ball, they are much more effective in finding the open man and getting good shots. In their first meeting the Celtics had 39 assists to just 17 for the Nets. They have to continue to play team ball in this game.
Take Care of the Ball - The Celtics are averaging 16.3 turnovers per game while the Nets are averaging 14.3 turnovers per game. The Celtics have to take care of the ball and make smart passes and not give the Nets extra possessions by turning it over. The Celtics had just 14 rebounds in Friday's game to 19 for the Nets. They need to limit their turnovers in this game as well.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics need to be the more aggressive team in going after loose balls, rebounds, 50/50 balls, and in going to the basket. They also have to be aggressive on defense. They have to be the team that wants it more and they have to play that way for 48 minutes.
X-Factors Motivation - The Celtics have the motivation of wanting to better their draft pick and to dominate a division rival. The Nets will be looking to avenge the 25 point loss on Friday. Which motivation will be stronger.
Smart's Injury - How much will Smart's injury affect the play and chemistry of the team? Hopefully they will be able to compensate, especially on the defensive end.
Officiating - At best, the officiating in the NBA is inconsistent. In Friday's contest they called a total of 32 fouls. The Celtics play better when the refs let both teams play and don't call ticky tack fouls on them for playing defense.