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Boston Celtics (20-5) at Phoenix Suns (16-8)
Wednesday, December 7, 2022
10:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #26, Road Game #13
TV: ESPN, NBCSB, BSAZ
Radio: WROR, KMVP/KSUN
Footprint Center 
Probable Starters
Point Guard:Marcus Smart ---------------- Shooting Guard: Derrick White
Center: Al Horford 
Small Forward: Jaylen Brown ------------------ Power Forward: Jayson Tatum
Celtics ReservesMalcolm Brogdon
Grant Williams
Sam Hauser
Payton Pritchard
Luke Kornet
Blake Griffin
Justin Jackson
Noah Vonleh
2 Way PlayersJD Davison
Mfiondu Kabengele
Out/InjuriesDanilo Gallinari (ACL) out
Robert Williams III (knee) out
Malcolm Brogdon (illness) probable
Head Coach (Interim)Joe Mazzulla
Probable Starters Point Guard: Cameron Payne .............................. Shooting Guard: Devin Booker
Center: Deandre Ayton
Small Forward: Mikal Bridges ......................Power Forward: Ish Wainright
Suns Reserves Bismack Biyombo
Jock Landale
Damion Lee
Josh Okogie
Dario Saric
Landry Shamet
2 Way Players Ish Wainright
Duane Washington, Jr
Out/Injuries Torrey Craig (groin) questionable
Jae Crowder (not injury related) out
Cameron Johnson (knee) out
Chris Paul (heel) questionable
Duane Washington, Jr. (hip) out
Head Coach Monty Williams
Game Notes The Celtics continue their road trip as they take on the Suns in Phoenix. This is the 3rd game of the 6 game road trip. The Celtics are 2-0 so far on the trip. This is the first of 2 games between these two teams with the second game in Boston on February 3. The Suns and Celtics split the series 1-1 last season with each team winning on their home court.
The Celtics are first in the East, 2 games ahead of the 2nd place Milwaukee Bucks. They are 9-3 on the road and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 2 games. They are 6-0 against Western Conference teams. The Suns are first in the West, half a game ahead of New Orleans and 2 game ahead of Memphis. They are 12-2 at home and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are 3-3 against Eastern Conference teams.
The Suns are playing in a single home game sandwiched in between a 2 game road trip and a 4 game road trip. They are coming off a 130-111 loss to the Mavs on Monday. The Suns are 35-10 in games following a loss, which is the best record in games following a loss of any team. The Celtics have lost their last 2 games in Phoenix. The Celtics are 74-59 overall all time against the Suns and they are 30-36 all time in games played in Phoenix.
Malcolm Brogdon missed Monday's game with a non-covid illness. He is listed as probable for this game and is expected to play. His final status will be a game time decision. Marcus Smart missed Sunday's game with a hip contusion but played on Monday and is expected to play in this game. Robert Williams III (knee) has practiced 5 on 5 but is still listed as out but is expected to return soon. Danilo Gallinari remains out with the ACL tear.
Chris Paul has missed the last 10 games for the Suns with a heel injury. He looked good in the Suns' Tuesday practice and so there is a good chance that he may return to the court for this game. He is officially listed as questionable and will be a game time decision. Torrey Craig is also listed as questionable with a groin injury. He will be a game time decision and if he returns, Ish Wainright will likely return to the bench and Craig will get the start.
Although not injured, Jae Crowder has not played for the Suns this season. He demanded a trade in training camp and, as yet, the Suns haven't found a trade that they like for the former Celtic. Crowder remains away from the team and not playing. Cameron Johnson is out for 1 to 2 months with a torn meniscus. 2 Way player Duane Washington, Jr is out with a hip injury.
Key Matchups vs
Derrick White vs Devin Booker
Booker is playing very well this season. He is averaging 29.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.0 steals. He is shooting 48.8% from the field and 39% from beyond the arc. Between 11/28 and 12/2, he scored over 40 points in 3 straight games while shooting 66.7% from the field. He is averaging 27.6% from the field against the Celtics over his career. He scored 70 points in a game back in 2017. Needless to say, the Celtics need to defend him well to keep him from taking over the game.
vs
Jaylen Brown vs Mikal Bridges
Bridges is averaging 16.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.0 blocks per game. He is shooting 51.6% from the field and 44.7% from beyond the arc. He has played in every game of his career thus far and he currently holds the NBA's longest active Ironman streak with 333 consecutive games played. He is also a first team all defense player and will make things difficult for Jaylen on the offensive end.
Honorable MentionAl Horford vs DeAndre Ayton
Ayton is averaging 17.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. He is shooting 62.2% from the field and 30.8% from beyond the arc. Ayton has improved quite a bit shooting threes and so the Celtics have to stay with him on the perimeter. They also need to keep Ayton out of the paint and off the boards.
Keys to the Game Defense - Defense is always a key to winning. The Celtics have a defensive rating of 111.5 (15th) but have picked up their defense in the past couple of games. Hopefully they continue that trend in this game because the Suns are a good shooting team and the Celtics will need to up their defense if they want to beat the Suns at home. The Suns are 6th with an offensive rating of 110.2 and so the Celtics must make defense a priority if they want to win this game.
Rebound - The Celtics need to rebound on the offensive end to give themselves extra possessions and to prevent the Suns from racking up fast break points. They also have to crash the boards on the defensive end to prevent the Suns from getting tip ins and second chance points as the Suns are 10th with 14.6 second chance points per game. The Celtics are going to have to put out extra effort to win the battle of the boards in this one.
Take Care of the Ball - The Celtics need to move the ball but they also need to make careful passes and they need to be focused when they dribble and not turn the ball over. The Celtics can't be careless against a Suns team that averages 19.4 points off turnovers per game. The Celtics must take care of the ball because the Suns are very good at making teams pay if they turn the ball over.
Play Hard 48 Minutes - The Celtics seem to have lapses where they let up on their effort and where they lose focus for awhile. Against the Raptors, the Celtics allowed the Raptors to play harder in the first half and they turned up their effort in the second half. They can't afford to let the Suns play harder than them for any period of time. They must come out ready to play right from the opening tip and they have to play hard and stay focused through all 4 quarters right up until the final buzzer.
X-Factors Road Fatigue - The Celtics are playing in the third game of a 6 game road trip. They have had a lot of travel and had to sleep in hotels and play in hostile arenas. This is their 3rd game in 4 nights and it would be understandable if their legs are tired and they are somewhat road weary. They have also changed time zones and may have a bit of jet lag. Can they find another gear and get a win in one of the toughest games of their trip?
Officiating - I know that I say this every game, but the officiating always has the possibility to be an x-factor in every game. Every crew calls the game differently, whether they call every little ticky tack foul or they let a lot of contact go and let the teams play. Some refs favor the home team and some call for both teams evenly. The Celtics have got to adjust to the way the game is being called and not allow the officiating to take away from their focus. They did a good job of not allowing bad officiating in the Raptors game to take them out of the game and they need to continue to stay focused on the game and not on the officials.
Topic: Celtics (20-5) at Suns (16-8) Game #26 12/7/22 (Read 13571 times)