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Celtics (40-26) at Lakers (30-35) Game #67 3/9/19
« on: March 08, 2019, 10:34:20 PM »

Offline FLCeltsFan

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Boston Celtics (40-26) at Los Angeles Lakers (30-35)
Regular Season Game #67 Road Game #33
Saturday, March 9, 2019
8:30 PM ET
TV:  ABC
Radio: WROR 105.7, 710 AM ESPN
Staples Center




Probable Starters
Point Guard: Kyrie Irving ---------------- Shooting Guard: Marcus Smart



Center:  Al Horford 


Small Forward: Jason Tatum  ------------------ Power Forward: Marcus Morris Sr


Celtics Reserves

Terry Rozier III
Daniel Theis
Jaylen Brown
Guerschon Yabusele
Semi Ojeleye
Brad Wanamaker
Aron Baynes
Gordon Hayward
Robert Williams III

Injuries

Kyrie Irving (thigh) probable

Two Way Players
P. J. Dozier
RJ Hunter

Head Coach
Brad Stevens




Probable Starters
Point Guard: Rajon Rondo -------------------- Shooting Guard: Reggie Bullock



Center: JaVale McGee


Small Forward: LeBron James -------------------- Power Forward: Josh Hart 


Lakers Reserves
Kentavious Caldwell Pope
Isaac Bonga
Mike Muscala
Moritz Wagner

Injuries
 
Kyle Kuzma (ankle) game time decision
Tyson Chandler (neck)  out
Lonzo Ball (ankle)  out
Brandon Ingram (shoulder) questionable
Lance Stephenson (foot) out)

Two Way Players
Alex Caruso
Jonathan Williams 

Head Coach

Luke Walton

Game Notes
The Celtics continue their 4 game West Coast road trip with a stop in Los Angeles to continue their rivalry with the LA Lakers.  This is the 2nd and final game between these two teams this season.  The Lakers came from as many as 18 down to beat the Celtics 129-128 in Boston on February 7. 

In that game, Former Celtic Rajon Rondo hit the game winner after a scramble for the ball that included a few Laker fouls that weren't called.  The Lakers have  only lost the season series to the Celtics 3 times since the 2019-2000 season.   The Lakers are 5-5 in their last 10 meetings with the Celtics. 

The Celtics remain in 5th place in the East, 1 game behind the Sixers, who lost to the Rockets on Friday.  They are also 2 games behind the Pacers for 3rd.  The Celtics are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have won their last 2 games.  They are 16-16 on the road and 12-13 vs Western Conference teams.

The Lakers are 11th in the West, 6.5 games behind the 8th place Clippers and basically out of the playoff picture.  They are 2-8 in their last 10 games and are on a 4 game losing streak.  They are 18-15 at home and 9-12 vs Eastern Conference teams.  Including their time in Minneapolis, these two teams have played 289 times.  The Celtics lead the series all time 159-130. 

Kyrie Irving missed Wednesday's game vs the Kings but is feeling better and expects to play in this game.  Lonzo Ball (ankle) and Tyson Chandler (neck) are both out for the Lakers.  Kyle Kuzma (ankle) went through 75% of practice and is a game time decision for this game.  Brandon Ingram (shoulder) and Lance Stephenson (foot) are both questionable.

With the Lakers out of the playoff picture,  they have said that they plan to limit LeBron's minutes for the rest of the season as well as rest him on back to back games.  I'm not sure if he will take kindly to being limited against one of his long time rivals and Kyrie Irving's team, however. 

Key Matchups
vs
Jason Tatum vs LeBron James
Tatum has a lot of experience covering James, including last year's Eastern Conference Finals.  LeBron is averaging 27.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 8.0 assists. In the first meeting LeBron led the Lakers with 28 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists.   As always, LeBron is next to impossible to contain but if Tatum can at least slow him down, that would be a good thing. 

vs
Kyrie Irving vs Rajon Rondo
Rondo is averaging 9.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 7.6 assists.  He always plays his best on national TV and also against his former teams.  In the first game against the Celtics, he had 17 points and 10 assists.   He made 3 of 4 from beyond the arc and also hit the game winner.   You always have to pay close attention to National TV Rondo. 

Honorable Mention

Gordon Hayward vs Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Hayward has been playing well on this trip and hopefully will continue that trend as the Celtics need him to be back to his old self to go far in the playoffs.  In the last game between these two teams, Caldwell-Pope had 17 points, hitting 5 three pointers.  Hayward needs to win this battle off the bench.

Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense wins games.  The Celtics are 4th in the league with a defensive rating of 105.7. The Lakers aren't terrible defensively as they are 13th with a defensive rating of 109.1.  The Celtics didn't play very good defense in their first meeting, allowing the Lakers to hit a franchise record 22 three pointers.  The Celtics need to play tough lock down defense in this game and not allow the Lakers to gain any confidence.

Rebound
-  Rebounding takes effort and energy and the Celtics will need both to out-rebound the Lakers.  They need to crash the boards and keep the Lakers from getting second chance points and fast breaks.  The Celtics  are averaging 44.8 rebounds per game while the Lakers are averaging 46.4 rebounds per game.  The Lakers are 2nd in points in the paint with 56.4 per game.  The Celtics have to crash the boards to limit their put backs and second chance baskets.

Be Aggressive - The Celtics must be the more aggressive team. They have to be aggressive in going to the basket, in diving for loose balls, and on defense.  They have to aggressively crash the boards.  They have to be the team that wants it more.  They can't afford to let the Lakers be the team that plays harder. 

Take Care of the Ball - The Celtics need to share the ball and make the extra pass to find the best shot possible,  But, they also must take care of the ball because the Lakers are 3rd in fast break points with 19.1 per game.  If the Celtics get sloppy and turn the ball over, the Lakers will certainly make them pay. 

Play the Right Way -  The Celtics finally found their grit and heart in their last 2 wins.  They have played together on offense and on defense and have moved the ball and made the right play.  They have stuck together and have played hard for 48 minutes. They have to continue this if they want to get a win in this game. 

X-Factors
On the Road - .  The Celtics need to come into the game focused, especially the young guys who sometimes struggle on the road.  They need to block out the distractions of playing in a hostile arena and focus on playing the right way.  Hopefully they haven't let the LA nightlife take away from their focus on the game. 
 
Celtic Pride - "Beat LA" is one of the most iconic chants in sports.  This is a storied rivalry and no matter the circumstances, the Celtics always want to beat the Lakers.  It's a matter of pride and the Celtics need to get the job done and "Beat LA" in this game.  There is also a matter of avenging the earlier loss in Boston and not allowing the Lakers to sweep the series.   

Re: Celtics (40-26) at Lakers (30-35) Game #67 3/9/19
« Reply #1 on: March 08, 2019, 10:36:14 PM »

Offline PAOBoston

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First

YES. This is what pure ecstasy feels like.

I can cross this off the bucket list now.

Re: Celtics (40-26) at Lakers (30-35) Game #67 3/9/19
« Reply #2 on: March 08, 2019, 10:36:48 PM »

Offline csfansince60s

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Go Cs!

TP FL Csfan!

Re: Celtics (40-26) at Lakers (30-35) Game #67 3/9/19
« Reply #3 on: March 08, 2019, 10:37:30 PM »

Offline FLCeltsFan

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TP to PAOBoston and csfansince60s   for being the first to post in the game thread!!

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Celtics!!!!

Beat LA!
Beat LA!
Beat LA!
Beat LA!

Re: Celtics (40-26) at Lakers (30-35) Game #67 3/9/19
« Reply #4 on: March 08, 2019, 10:38:47 PM »

Offline csfansince60s

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TP to PAOBoston and csfansince60s   for being the first to post in the game thread!!

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Celtics!!!!

Beat LA!
Beat LA!
Beat LA!
Beat LA!

We owe both LA teams for our lowest point of the season.

Payback time!,!

Re: Celtics (40-26) at Lakers (30-35) Game #67 3/9/19
« Reply #5 on: March 08, 2019, 11:15:02 PM »

Offline Somebody

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BEAT THE LELKERS!!!
Jaylen Brown for All-NBA

Re: Celtics (40-26) at Lakers (30-35) Game #67 3/9/19
« Reply #6 on: March 08, 2019, 11:41:33 PM »

Offline libermaniac

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Revenge!

Re: Celtics (40-26) at Lakers (30-35) Game #67 3/9/19
« Reply #7 on: March 08, 2019, 11:42:44 PM »

Offline Ogaju

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BEAT THE FLAKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TP FLCF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Celtics (40-26) at Lakers (30-35) Game #67 3/9/19
« Reply #8 on: March 09, 2019, 12:23:48 AM »

Offline liam

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Beat LA! Go Celtics!

Re: Celtics (40-26) at Lakers (30-35) Game #67 3/9/19
« Reply #9 on: March 09, 2019, 12:27:28 AM »

Offline SparzWizard

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BEAT LA!!!


#JTJB (Just Trade Jaylen Brown)
#JFJM (Just Fire Joe Mazzulla)

Re: Celtics (40-26) at Lakers (30-35) Game #67 3/9/19
« Reply #10 on: March 09, 2019, 12:29:50 AM »

Offline SparzWizard

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But since it's national TV, Kyle Kuzma could have another big night if he plays. Expect Reggie Bullock to be relevant, too.

And ofc, triple-double Rondo and LeBron James. This will be like their championship game.


#JTJB (Just Trade Jaylen Brown)
#JFJM (Just Fire Joe Mazzulla)

Re: Celtics (40-26) at Lakers (30-35) Game #67 3/9/19
« Reply #11 on: March 09, 2019, 01:43:41 AM »

Offline ozgod

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Let's hammer the final stake in the coffin that is the LA Lakers' miserable season. Let's get them booing LeBum at the Staples Center again. :angel:
Any odd typos are because I suck at typing on an iPhone :D

Re: Celtics (40-26) at Lakers (30-35) Game #67 3/9/19
« Reply #12 on: March 09, 2019, 06:58:38 AM »

Offline hodgy03038

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No letdowns. We need to crush this team for that BS Rondo shot in the last game. I am tired of Kuzma and his punky swagger. I want to see Gino dancing in LA. Oh and if Kyrie is playing tonight then that means he has some unknown injury for the next game right?

Re: Celtics (40-26) at Lakers (30-35) Game #67 3/9/19
« Reply #13 on: March 09, 2019, 08:39:33 AM »

Offline SHAQATTACK

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Re: Celtics (40-26) at Lakers (30-35) Game #67 3/9/19
« Reply #14 on: March 09, 2019, 09:03:18 AM »

Offline Chief

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Dear Lebron,  dont minute restrictions yet.


We owe you a fair beatdown!
Once you are labeled 'the best' you want to stay up there, and you can't do it by loafing around.
 
Larry Bird