at
Boston Celtics (10-15) at Orlando Magic (10-20)
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
7:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #26, Road Game #11
TV: CSNNE, FSFL, NBA-LP 754(DTV), 751(Xfinity)
Radio: WZLX 100.7 FM, ESPN 580 AM
Amway CenterProbable Starting Matchups
Point Guard vs
Marcus Smart vs Elfrid Payton
Shooting Guard vs
Avery Bradley vs Victor Oladipo
Small Forward vs
Jeff Green vs Tobias Harris
Power Forward vs
Jared Sullinger vs Kyle O'Quinn
Center vs
Tyler Zeller vs Nikola Vucevic
Celtics Reserves Phil Pressey
Evan Turner
Brandon Bass
Tyler Zeller
Gerald Wallace
Jameer Nelson
Jae Crowder
Brandan Wright
InjuriesMarcus Thornton (calf) out
James Young (shoulder) probable
Magic Reserves Ben Gordon
Evan Fournier
Maurice Harkless
Channing Frye
Dewayne Dedmon
Andrew Nicholson
Luke Ridnour
Devyn Marble
Injuries Aaron Gordon (foot) out
Willie Green (illness) questionable
Game Notes The Celtics and Magic meet for the second time in a week. However, much has changed for both teams since that 109-92 win by the Celtics on December 17. Rajon Rondo is no longer a Celtic and in his place are Jameer Nelson, who spent his first 10 seasons with the Magic, Jae Crowder and Brandan Wright.
Elfrid Payton is listed to start at the point for the Magic instead of Victor Oladipo, who will move to the shooting guard spot in place of Evan Fournier. Also Kyle O'Quinn is slated to start at power forward in place of Channing Frye who started there in the last game.
With 3 new players to fit into the rotation, Brad Stevens may do some shaking up of the lineups himself. Marcus Smart made his first start in the Celtics last game against the Heat and is listed to start there again. It's also possible that Stevens may give Nelson a try at that spot.
The Celtics lack of aggression and effort allowed the Heat to end a 5 game home losing streak in their last game. They recently allowed the Knicks to end a 10 game losing streak and now they come into Orlando to face a team that is on a 4 game losing streak. Hopefully they don't break another streak in this one.
Aaron Gordon is out for the Magic with a foot injury and Willie Green is questionable with an illness. For the Celtics, Marcus Thornton is still out with a calf injury while James Young was able to go through a full practice on Monday and may be available to play in this one if he has no setbacks.
Key Matchups vs
Tyler Zeller vs Nikola Vucevic
Vucevic is averaging 18.3 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game. He is an interior defender as well as a force on offense in the paint. Zeller will have his hands full trying to contain him. The Celtics won't have it easy when getting into the paint unless Zeller can move him away from the basket.
vs
Jeff Green vs Tobias Harris
Harris is averaging 18.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists and 1.04 steals per game and has been playing very well. Jeff Green will need to be active on both ends of the court to counter Harris' effectiveness.
Keys to the Game Defense - Defense wins games pure and simple. Unfortunately this has been where the Celtics have struggled the most, allowing teams to score 104.5 points, which is 3rd worst in the league. They have to figure out a way to get stops, especially late in games.
Rebound - The Celtics have to crash the boards in order to give themselves extra possessions as well as to prevent the Magic from getting second chance points and fast breaks. Rondo was one of the better rebounders on the team and so the Celtics have to all put out extra effort on the boards to make up for him.
Pace and Space - The Celtics must set the pace and run on every possession. It seems that they run to start most games and build a lead or hang with teams but then they slow it down and walk the ball up the court and no longer keep up the pace or the lead. Against the Heat, they never seemed to get going. They have to run and keep up the pace the entire game. They had no fast break points vs the Heat and they have to do better in this game.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics need to be the more aggressive team. They must be the first to loose balls and rebounds, and they have to be aggressive in driving to the basket and not always settling for jumpers. They must be aggressive on defense and set the tone for the game.
X-Factors
Effort and Road Game The Celtics lacked effort against the Heat. Maybe it was getting used to 3 new players and missing Rondo, but they have to shake that off and give a better effort in this game. Once again, the Celtics are on the road where they have struggled. They need to give it their best effort in spite of the hostile environment.