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Golden State Warriors (23-0) at Boston Celtics (13-9)
Firday, December, 11, 2015
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #23, Home Game #12
TV: CSN-NE, CSN-BA, NBA-LP 753(DTV)/753,754(Xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, KNBR 680 AM
TD Garden
Probable Starters
PG: Isaiah Thomas
SG: Avery Bradley
SF: Jae Crowder
PF: Amir Johnson
C: Jared Sullinger
Celtics ReservesEvan Turner
Jonas Jerebko
Terry Rozier
James Young
Kelly Olynyk
Jordan Mickey
Tyler Zeller
David Lee
InjuriesMarcus Smart (leg) out
RJ Hunter (hip) day to day
Head CoachBrad Stevens
Probable Starters 
PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Klay Thompson
SF: Brandon Rush
PF: Draymond Green
C: Andrew Bogut
ReservesIan Clark
Festus Ezeli
Andre Iguodala
Shaun Livingston
James Michael McAdoo
Mareese Speights
Jason Thompson
Head Coach Steve Kerr
Luke Walton (Interim)
Injuries Klay Thompson (ankle) questionable
Leandro Barbosa (illness) questionable
Harrison Barnes (ankle) out
Kevon Looney (hip) out
Game Notes The undefeated Warriors come into Boston to play the 6th game of a 7 game road trip. They are playing in the first of back to back games and will complete their road trip in Milwaukee on Saturday. They are off to the best road start in NBA history with 13 straight wins on the road.
The Celtics are 7-4 at home and have won 4 of their last 5 games, including going 3-2 on a tough western road trip. They are looking for their 3rd straight win. The Celtics are currently 7th in the East, but just 1/2 game out of 3rd and 1/2 game behind the Raptors for the Atlantic Division lead.
The Warriors are good in just about every area. They lead the league in points per game (115.8 ), FG % (49.6), assists per game (28.9), 3 pointers per game (13.6), 3 point % (43.8 ), point differential (+14.6) and fast break points (21.0). The Warriors have swept the season series for the last 2 seasons. Both games were close last season with just a 5 point difference in Boston and a 3 point difference in Golden State.
The Warriors may be short handed for this one. Harrison Barnes (ankle) and Kevon Looney (hip) are both out. Klay Thompson rolled his ankle late in Tuesday's win over the Pacers. The injury isn't thought to be serious and he's had 2 days to rest it. He is listed as questionable. Former Celtic, Leandro Barbosa is also listed as questionable with an illness.
The Celtics could really use Marcus Smart's defense for this game, but he is expected to be out once again with the leg injury. Former Warrior David Lee returned to the court for Wednesday's game and is ready to play against his former team. RJ Hunter is still listed as day to day with the hip injury.
Key Matchups vs
Isaiah Thomas vs Stephen Curry
The simple truth is that no human can guard Stephen Curry. Avery and Isaiah and Jay have to do the best they can but he will still get his. Curry is averaging 32.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 2.26 steals per game. He is shooting 52.9% from the field and 46.3% from beyond the arc. That is almost super human. The best the Celtics can hope for is to maybe slow him down a little.
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Avery Bradley vs Klay Thompson
Thompson is averaging 18.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. He is shooting 46.5% from the field and 44.2% from beyond the arc. He is coming off a 39 point effort on Tuesday before he rolled his ankle. He is listed as questionable for this game and they may keep him out because they play again on Saturday at Milwaukee. Things sure would be easier for the Celtics if he would sit this game out.
Honorable MentionEvan Turner vs Andre Iguodala
The Finals MVP is averaging 7.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists and is capable of having a big game off the bench. The Celtics will need Evan Turner to produce in this game as he tries to keep the Celtics bench ahead of their counterparts on the Warriors.
Keys to the Game Keys to the Game
Defense - The Warriors can put up points quickly and in bunches. They lead the league with 115.8 points per game. It will be important for the Celtics to bring their defensive intensity into this game, especially to shut down the Warriors' fast breaks as they lead the league in fast break points with 21. The Celtics must especially guard the perimeter as the Warriors are very dangerous from beyond the arc, shooting 43.8% from 3. The Bulls allow 101.2 points per game and are 51-0 when they hold teams below 100 points (dating back to the 2014-15 season). The Celtics must execute on the defensive end of the court and play tough team defense if they have any hope of winning this game.
Rebound - The Celtics need to crash the boards to keep the Warriors from igniting their fast breaks. The Celtics also need to rebound to give themselves second chance points and limit the second chance points for the Warriors. The Warriors are a very good rebounding team, pulling down 46.2 rebounds per game, good for 4th in the league. The Celtics are averaging 43.7 rebounds per game and they have to crash the boards as a team.
Take Care of the Ball - The Warriors can be very disruptive by getting into the passing lanes. The Celtics need to stay focused and not give the Warriors any easy opportunities to steal the ball or to get out on the break. If the Celtics get sloppy with the ball, the Warriors will make them pay.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics need to come out focused and play hard from start to finish. The Celtics have to be the more aggressive team throughout the game. They must be aggressive on defense, on the boards, in chasing down loose balls, and in taking the ball to the hoop and not settling for jumpers. They will need energy and extra effort from every player on the team.
Run, Run Run! - The Celtics play best when they run on every possession and run back on defense as well. The Warriors love to run and the Celtics have to match their effort and energy and keep up with the Warriors running game and even better, out run them.
X-Factors Focus - The Celtics have to be focused on the game and not on all the hype of the Warriors win streak. The only way the Celtics will get a win in this game is to outwork the Warriors and stay focused on the task at hand.
Injuries - Klay Thompson's availability will be a big x-factor for this game. While the Warriors still have a lot of fire power without him, it does get easier for the Celtics if he can't play.
Officiating - As always, the officiating is an x-factor. Every crew officiates differently and teams never know what to expect. Sometimes they let them play and other times they call a foul on every possession. Some games they call evenly and others they favor one team or the other. It's like Forrest Gump's box of chocolate... you never know what you are going to get.
Topic: Warriors (23-0) at Celtics (13-9) Game # 23 12/11/15 (Read 51857 times)