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Boston Celtics (17-4) at Washington Wizards (7-12)
Thursday, December 10
8:00 PM ET
Game #22, Road Game #11
TV: TNT, CSN HD, The Source
Radio: WEEI,. WJFK
Verizon CenterProbableStarters PG Rajon Rondo 11 PPG 9.2 APG 2.7 SPG
SG Ray Allen 15.5 PPG 3.0 APG .330 3P%
SF Paul Pierce 18.4 PPG 4.6 RPG 3.9 APG
PF Kevin Garnett 15.4 PPG 7.4 RPG 0.7 BPG
C Kendrick Perkins 11.9 PPG 7.5 RPG 1.9 BPG
ReservesRasheed Wallace
Eddie House
Shelden Williams
Tony Allen
Brian Scalabrine
JR Giddens
Lester Hudson
Injuries Marquis Daniels (thumb) out
Glen Davis (thumb) out
D League Bill Walker
Probable Starters PG Gilbert Arenas 20.4 PPG 6.5 APG 1.0 SPG
SG Nick Young 8.2 PPG 0.8 APG .318 3P%
SF Caron Butler 16.5 PPG 6.9 RPG 1.5 APG
PF Antawn Jamison 20.1 PPG 8.7RPG .5 BPG
C Brendan Haywood 10.0 PPG 10.9 RPG 2.1 BPG
ReservesEarl Boykins
Andray Blatche
JaVale McGee
Randy Foye
Dominic McGuire
Fabricio Oberto
DeShawn Stevenson
Injuries Javaris Crittenton (foot) out
Mike Miller (calf) out
Mike James (hand) questionable
Team ConnectionsCaron Butler and Ray Allen are former UConn Huskies
DeShawn Stevenson played for Doc Rivers during the 2003-04 season
Randy Foye was originally drafted by the Celtics in the 2006 NBA Draft
Mike Miller played for Doc Rivers from 2000-03 in Orlando
Mike James played for the Celtics during the 2003-04 season
Mike James and Rasheed Wallace were teammates in Detroit during the 2003-04 season
Nick Young and Brian Scalabrine are former USC Trojans
Antawn Jamison and Rasheed Wallace are former North Carolina Tar Heels
Randy Foye, Mike Miller and Shelden Williams were teammates in Minnesota during the 2008-09 season
Wizards assistant coach Sam Cassell played for the Celtics in the 2007-08 season.
Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau had agreed to join the Wizards as an assistant but after a week left the club and joined the Celtics' staff.
Key Matchups vs
Rajon Rondo vs Gilbert Arenas
Gilbert Arenas always gets up for the Celtics because he still holds a grudge against them for not drafting him in the first round. Gilbert is a tough PG and Rondo is going to need to bring his A game on both ends of the court for this one.
vs
Kevin Garnett vs Antawn Jamison
KG has been playing at very close to 100% recently. Jamison has also been playing very well for Washington and so this should be a good matchup.
Honorable Mention vs
Kendrick Perkins vs Brendan Haywood
This should be a good battle between a couple of defensive minded centers. Haywood is a good rebounder and shot blocker and Perk will need to use his strength to keep the taller Haywood away from the basket.
Game Notes• Celtics swept the season series 3-0 against Washington in 2008-09
• Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 24.0 points per game last season
• Caron Butler led the Wizards scoring output against the C’s last season with an average of 22.0 points per contest
• It marked the first time since the 1981-82 season that the C’s had swept the season series against the Wizards
• The Celtics are leading the all-time series 167-101 with the Celtics 86-37 at home
The Wizards are a dangerous team because they are easy to take for granted because of their 7-12 record. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have lost their last 2 games. But, they are a talented team and are capable of beating any team on any night when things click for them.
The Celtics last played on Tuesday at home and are beginning a 3 game road trip. The Wizards have been off since Friday and so they will be well rested. However, sometimes a long rest will work against a team in that they come out rusty to begin the game.
Keys to the Game Defense - Defense is the key to winning every game. Over the Celtics last 5 games, they have rediscovered their defensive identity and hopefully this will continue in this game.
Rebound - The Celtics have struggled in this area recently and need to make an effort to improve their rebounding. Much of rebounding is effort and desire and the Celtics need to increase both in order to win the battle of the boards. The Bucks game was much closer than it should have been because the Celtics were allowing way too many second chance points.
Play Hard for 48 Minutes - The Wizards may be a bit sluggish to begin the game because of their layoff and the Celtics need to take advantage of this to build an early lead. They also can't let up or a team like the Wizards will make them pay.
Bench Play - With Marquis Daniels out, others on the Celtics bench must step up. Hopefully Doc won't be forced to over use the starters because the bench isn't producing. Eddie, Scal, and TA especially need to up their games to make up for the absence of Daniels. Giving Hudson some minutes at the point may pay dividends later.