at
Oklahoma City Thunder (2-6) at Boston Celtics (3-3)
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
7:30 PM ET
Game #7, Home Game #4
TV: CSNNE, FSOK,NBA-LP 755(DTV)/752(Xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WWLS 98.1 FM
TD Garden
Probable Starting Matchups Point Guard 
vs
Rajon Rondo vs Reggie Jackson
Shooting Guard 
vs
Avery Bradley vs Jeremy Lamb
Small Forward 
vs
Jeff Green vs Lance Thomas
Power Forward 
vs
Jared Sullinger vs Serge Ibaka
Center 
vs
Kelly Olynyk vs Steven Adams
Celtics ReservesPhil Pressey
Evan Turner
Marcus Thornton
Brandon Bass
Dwight Powell
Tyler Zeller
James Young
Gerald Wallace
InjuriesVitor Faverani (knee) out
Marcus Smart (ankle) out
Marcus Thornton (ankle) out
Rajon Rondo (hand) probable
Thunder ReservesKendrick Perkins
Nick Collison
Ish Smith
Sebastian Telfair
Anthony Morrow
InjuriesRussell Westbrook (hand) out
Kevin Durant (foot) out
Grant Jarrett (ankle) out
Perry Jones (knee) questionable
Mitch McGary (foot) out
Andre Roberson (foot) questionable
Game NotesKendrick Perkins and the Oklahoma City Thunder make their only visit to TD Garden this season on Wednesday. The Celtics will visit Oklahoma City on March 18 for their second and final meeting with the Thunder. Along with Perk, former Celtic Sebastian Telfair will also return to the Garden with the Thunder.
The Thunder have been hit with injuries about as hard as a team can be hit and still play. They received a hardship exception to sign Ish Smith and are just one injury short of a second exception. All Stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are both out along with 5 other reserves. They are still a dangerous team, however as they found a way to beat the 5-1 Kings at home before setting out on an east coast road trip.
Marcus Smart, Marcus Thornton and Vitor Faverani will be out for the Celtics. Rajon Rondo missed Saturday's game for a minor procedure on his hand but is on track to return to the starting lineup for this game.
Along with all of the injuries, the Thunder are also playing in the second of back to back games, having played in Milwaukee on Tuesday night. The Celtics, on the other hand, come into this game well rested, having last played on Saturday. The Thunder are 0-4 on the road while the Celtics are 2-1 at home.
Key Matchups vs
Jared Sullinger vs Serge Ibaka
Serge Ibaka is one of the Thunder's stars who isn't out with an injury and he is playing very well. He is averaging 17.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. He is also shooting 42.4% from beyond the arc. Sully will have his hands full with this matchup.
vs
Kelly Olynyk vs Steven Adams
Steven Adams has come into his own this season, winning the starting center position. He is a very physical player and isn't afraid to mix it up under the basket. He is averaging 9.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 0.1 blocks per game.
Player to Watch 
I still love Perk! He has been playing well off the bench for OKC this year and although his stats of 5 points and 5 rebounds per game don't jump out at you, anyone who has watched Perk knows that the stats just tell part of the story. He is a rim protector and will box out so that his teammates can get rebounds. He also sets a mean pick to get his teammates open. Perk should get a nice hand when he comes into the game. Boston still loves Perk!
Keys to the Game Rebound - The Thunder have out-rebounded their opponents in every game so far and it has allowed them to stay in games when they lacked the firepower to match other teams. The Thunder are averaging 42.9 rebounds per game while the Celtics are averaging 44.3 rebounds per game. The Celtics will need to put extra effort into crashing the boards.
Defense - Defense is always a key to winning. The Thunder, like the Celtics have bigs who can score from the outside. Serge Ibaka is shooting 42.4% from three and Nick Collison is shooting 38.5% from three. The Celtics will need to defend the perimeter as well as the inside because Ibaka can also get to the hoop, as can Steven Adams. The Thunder allow opponents to shoot just 43.8% from the field, which is 10th best in the NBA. The Celtics allow 47.3% and will need to match OKC's defensive intensity if they want to get a win in this one.
Pace and Space - The Celtics need to set the pace and continue to run and to move the ball. When they slow down, they aren't near as effective as when they are running on every possession. They also can't play hero ball. They are best as a team sharing the ball and spreading the scoring as they did against the Bulls.
X-Factors Underestimation and Fatigue Hopefully the Celtics won't underestimate the Thunder because of all of their injuries. They are still very dangerous. The Celtics are well rested while the Thunder are playing back to back on the road. Fatigue may be a factor down the stretch.
Topic: Thunder (2-6) at Celtics (3-3) Game #7 11/12/14 (Read 55997 times)