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New Orleans Pelicans (16-27) at Boston Celtics (22-22)
Monday, January 17, 2022
12:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #45 – Home Game #23
TV: NBCSB, BSNO
Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub , KLRZ
TD Garden
Probable Starters Point Guard 
Dennis Schroder
Shooting Guard 
Jaylen Brown
Small Forward 
Jaylen Brown
Power Forward 
Al Horford
Center
Robert Williams III
Celtics ReservesBruno Fernando
Juancho Hernangomez
Enes Freedom
Payton Pritchard
Josh Richardson
Grant Williams
Romeo Langford
Aaron Nesmith
InjuriesMarcus Smart (covid) out
Two-Way PlayersSam Hauser
Brodric Thomas
Head CoachIme Udoka
Probable Starters
Point Guard 
Devonte Graham
Shooting Guard 
Josh Hart
Small Forward 
Herbert Jones
Power Forward 
Brandon Ingram
Center 
Jonas Valanciunas
Pelicans Reserves Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Jaxon Hayes
Willy Hernangomez
Didi Louzada
Jaji Marshall
Trey Murphy III
Tomas Satoransky
Garrett Temple
InjuriesKira Lewis, Jr (knee) out
Zion Williamson (foot) out
Two-Way PlayersJose Alvarado
Gary Clark
Head Coach Willie Green
Game Notes The Celtics and New Orleans Pelicans face off against each other in a matinee game as part of a full slate of games on Martin Luther King Day. This is the first of two games between these two teams this season. They will face each other again on January 29 in New Orleans. The Pelicans won the series 2-0 last season. The Celtics are 20-21 all time against the Pelicans and 12-8 all time in Boston.
The Celtics are playing in the second of a four game home stand. The started the home stand with a 114-112 win over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. They will finish the week with games against Charlotte on Wednesday and Portland on Friday. The Pelicans are playing in the second of a 3 game road trip. They lost 120-105 on Saturday to the Brooklyn Nets and will finish the trip against the Knicks.
The Celtics are in 11th place in the East and are currently outside of the playoff picture. However, they are just 1 game out of 8th place, 4 games out of 5th place and 4.5 games out of 4th place. They are 14-8 at home and 6-4 in their last 10 games. They are 6-10 against Western Conference teams. They won their last game and have won 4 out of their last 5 games.
The New Orleans Pelicans are 13th in the West and are also outside of the playoff picture. They are 1.5 games out of 10th place and a play in spot and they are 4.5 games out of 8th place. They are 6-16 on the road and 4-6 in their last 10 games. They are 5-11 against Eastern Conference teams. They lost their last game but have won 3 of 4 before that loss.
The Celtics will still be without Marcus Smart, who is out due to health and safety protocols. The Pelicans are without Kira Lewis, Jr who tore his ACL in December and will miss the remainder of the season. They are also without Zion Williamson who had foot surgery in the off season and was expected to return to start the season but, after a setback, is still out and rehabbing his foot away from the team.
Key Matchups vs
Al Horford vs Brandon Ingram
Ingram is averaging 22.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists for the year. He is shooting 44.7% from the field and 35% from beyond the arc. He has had 5 straight games of 20 or more points per game and is averaging 26.6 points over those 5 games.
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Robert Williams III vs Jonas Valanciunas
Valanciunas is averaging 18.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists. He is shooting 52.1% from the field and 43% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to keep him out of the paint and off the boards but they also need to stay with him on the perimeter since he is a very good 3 point shooter.
Honorable Mention Dennis Schroder vs Devonte Graham
Graham is averaging 13.8 points, 2.6 rebounds 4.6 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He is shooting 37% from the field and 35.5% from beyond the arc. He is tied for 11th in the NBA in made three-pointers per
game (3.0) and he is ranked 8th in the NBA in total three-pointers made (120) so the Celtics need to stay with him on the perimeter.
Keys to the Game Defense - Defense will always be the key to winning. The Pelicans average 105.9 points per game while the Celtics average 107.7 points per game. The Celtics must play tough defense to slow down the Pelicans' scoring if they want to win this game. The Celtics are 6th in the league with a defensive rating of 107.3. The Pelicans are 24th with a defensive rating of 111.7. The must make defense a priority to get a win.
Rebound - The Celtics have to crash the boards as a team. Rebounding takes effort and when they put that extra effort out to dominate the boards, it often translates to all other areas of the game as well. The Pelicans are averaging 46.2 rebounds (4th) and the Celtics are averaging 45.8 rebounds per game (9th). The Pelicans are 6th in the league with 14.4 second chance points and so the Celtics are going to have to work hard to keep them off the boards to keep them from scoring second chance baskets.
Move the Ball - The Celtics need to keep the ball moving and not lapse into iso's and hero ball. When the players move and they keep the ball moving, they get good shots and are tough to beat. When their assist numbers are up, they usually get a win. When they have a low number of assists, and play iso ball they usually get beat. They have to move the ball and play as a team.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics have got to be aggressive in going to the basket, playing defense, diving for loose balls and just play harder. In their losses, it is often because they let their opponent play harder than them. Their effort and aggressiveness can make them very tough to beat and their lack of it can make them vulnerable. They are once again facing a team that is under .500 and they can't afford to come out with less than 100% effort. They have to give every game their maximum effort as a team.
Stay Focused - A lack of focus can explain a lot of the Celtics woes this season. They can play very good and build big leads and look like they are the best team in the league. And then, they somehow lose focus and turn the ball over on every possession, stop defending and struggle to shoot 20% from the field. They must stay focused on taking care of the ball and on playing tough team defense and on taking and making good shots.
X-Factors Home Game - The Celtics are at home for the second straight game. The Pelicans are playing in their second straight road game. The Pelicans have struggled on the road this season with a 6-16 record away from home. Hopefully the Celtics will come out ready to play and get some motivation from the home crowd.
Officiating - Officiating is always an x-factor. Every crew calls the game differently. Some are tyrants with the whistle and some let the teams play. Some refs are very touchy and call quick fouls and techs. The Celtics have to adjust their game to however the refs are calling it. They can't let missed calls and no calls get to them and make them lose their focus.
Topic: Pelicans (16-27) at Celtics (22-22) Game #45 1/17/22 (Read 13273 times)