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Cleveland Cavaliers (13-10) at Boston Celtics (16-5)
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #22 Home Game#11
TV: NBCSB, BSOH, NBA-LP
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WTAM/WMMS, Sirius XM
TD Garden
Probable Starters 
PG: Jrue Holiday ...................................... SG: Derrick White
C: Kristaps Porzingis
SF: Jaylen Brown ............................................ PF: Jayson Tatum
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/OutNone Listed
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Probable Starters 
PG: Darius Garland ................ SG: Donovan Mitchell
C: Jarrett Allen
SF: Max Strus ................. PF: Dean Wade
Cavaliers Reserves Damian Jones
Sam Merrill
Georges Niang
Isaac Okoro
Tristan Thompson
Two Way Players Emoni Bates
Isaiah Mobley
Craig Porter, Jr
Injuries/Out Ty Jerome (ankle) out
Caris LeVert (knee) doubtful
Evan Mobley (knee) questionable
Ricky Rubio (personal) out
Head Coach JB Bickerstaff
Game Notes The Celtics host the Cavaliers for the first of 3 games between these two teams this season. They will play once again in Boston in just 2 days on Thursday and the final game will be in Cleveland on March 5. The Cavaliers won the series last season 3-1 with the Celtics losing both games played in Cleveland and one of the games in Boston and their lone win was in Boston.
The Celtics are 1st in the East, 1 game ahead of Orlando, who they face twice this week. They are 1.5 games ahead of Milwaukee and Philadelphia. They are 10-0 at home and are the only remaining team unbeaten at home. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games. The Celtics are 15-4 against other Eastern Conference teams and won their last game. The Cavs are 8th in the East, 4 games behind Boston and half a game behind 6th place New York. They are 7-4 on the road and 6-4 in their last 10 games. They are 9-5 against Eastern Conference teams and are coming off a loss.
The Celtics are 137-86 all time overall against the Cavaliers and 82-27 all time in Boston. The Cavaliers are playing iin the 3rd of 4 consecutive games on the road. They beat the Heat on Friday in Miami to begin the road trip and played the Magic in Orlando on Monday night. They will finish their road trip in Boston on Thursday as they play the Celtics for the 2nd time in 3 nights. They will then begin a 4 game home stand.
The Celtics are playing in the 2nd of a 5 game home stand after the In Season Tournament. They beat the Knicks on Friday. They will play the Cavaliers twice and then the Magic twice before heading out on a 4 game Western Conference road trip through the Warriors, Kings, Clippers and Lakers that will finish up on Christmas day when the Celtics play the Lakers on national TV.
The Celtics have no one listed on the injury list at this time. For the Cavaliers, Ty Jerome is out with an ankle injury. He hasn't played since October 27. Caris LeVert is doubtful with a knee injury. He has missed the last 4 games. Ricky Rubio is out for personal reasons. He is away from the team to focus on his mental health. Evan Mobley is questionable after missing the last 2 games with a knee injury. If he returns, he will likely return to the starting lineup with Dean Wade returning to the bench.
Key Matchups vs
Derrick White vs Donovan Mitchell
Mitchell is playing in his second season for the Cavs after coming over from the Utah Jazz. He is averaging 27.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game. He is shooting 45.5% from the field and 32.5% from beyond the arc. Slowing Mitchell down will be key to getting a win for the Celtics.
vs
Jrue Holiday vs Darius Garland
Garland and Donovan have formed a very good backcourt for the Cavs. Garland is averaging 19.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He is shooting 47.3% from the field and 32.5%from beyond the arc. As with Mitchell, slowing him down will be key to winning this game.
Honorable Mention Jaylen Brown vs Max Strus
Strus is averaging 14.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He is shooting 42.9% from the field and 37.2% from beyond the arc. Strus always seems to play better when he faces his former team and will likely continue that trend in this game. Jaylen Brown will likely be focused on having a good game after melting down and getting ejected from the Celtics win over the Knicks on Friday.
Keys to the Game Defense - Defense is always a key to winning games. The Cavaliers are a good defensive team with a 110.5 defensive rating, which is 8th in the league. The Celtics have a defensive rating of 109.0, which is 3rd. The Celtics allowed the Knicks to score 123 points in their last game and they have to do better than that against the Cavaliers. The Celtics must make defense a priority in this game and they have to play that tough defense for 48 minutes and not let up. The Cavs are going to play good defense and so the Celtics will need to match or exceed their defensive intensity.
Rebound - Next to defense, rebounding is a key to winning. Much of rebounding is effort and desire and when the Celtics put out the extra effort on the boards, it usually carries through to the rest of their game. The Celtics are averaging 46.9 rebounds per game (3rd) while the Cavs are averaging 44.6 rebounds per game (12th). The Celtics need to aggressively go after every rebound.
Move the Ball Carefully - The Celtics need to move the ball and find teammates for the best shots available. They play their best when the ball is moving and they are finding the open man. They struggle when the ball sticks and players try to do too much and play iso ball. However, they need to make careful passes because the Cavs average 17.8 points off turnovers per game and if the Celtics get sloppy, they will make them pay.
Effort and Focus for 48 Minutes - The Celtics need to stay focused on playing the game the right way. They have to play with effort. The Cavs play hard and so the Celtics need to match that effort and play even harder. The team that plays harder and is more aggressive is usually the team that comes out on top. The Celtics also have to stay focused. They have to focus on taking good shots and making them. When they are focused, they usually make their shots. They also have to keep that effort and focus up for 48 minutes with no let up and no collapse.
X-Factors
Rest vs Rust - The Celtics haven't played since defeating the Knicks at home on Friday. They should be well rested and as of this moment they are healthy. On the other hand, the Cavaliers are playing in the second of back to back games on the road and are dealing with a few injuries. Will the Celtics' rest result in rust? The Cavs could face some fatigue after playing back to back and having to travel between games.
Officiating - Officiating is always an x-factor. Every crew calls the game a little differently with some calling it tight and others letting them play. The refs have been calling games fairly tight and have been quick to call techs this season. Complaining to the refs about bad calls just seems to make it worse and has gotten players tossed. The Celtics have to adjust to how the game is being called and focus on the game and not on the officials.
Topic: Cavaliers (13-10) at Celtics (16-5) Game #22 12/12/23 (Read 10394 times)