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Brooklyn Nets (32-35) at Boston Celtics (44-23)
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
9:00 PM ET
Seeding Game #4
TV: ESPN, NBCSB, YES2
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WFAN 101.9
The Arena 
Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
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Marcus Smart vs Tyler Johnson
Shooting Guard 
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Jaylen Brown vs Caris LeVert
Small Forward 
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Gordon Hayward vs Joe Harris
Power Forward 
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Jayson Tatum vs Lance Thomas
Center 
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Daniel Theis vs Jarrett Allen
Celtics ReservesMarcus Smart
Carsen Edwards
Javonte Green
Semi Ojeleye
Vincent Poirier
Brad Wanamaker
Grant Williams
Enes Kanter
Romeo Langford
Robert Williams
Tremont Waters
Tacko Fall
Injuries/NWTNone
Head CoachBrad Stevens
Nets ReservesJustin Anderson
Chris Chiozza
Jamal Crawford
Donta Hall
Rodions Kurucs
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot
Jeremiah Martin
Dzanan Musa
Garrett Temple
Injuries/NWT Caris LeVert (thigh) probable
Joe Harris (back) probable
Jamal Crawford (hamstring) game time decision
Wilson Chandler NWT
Nicolas Claxton NWT
Spencer Dinwiddie NWT
Kevin Durant NWT
Kyrie Irving NWT
DeAndre Jordan NWT
Taurean Prince NWT
Head Coach Jacque Vaughn
Game Notes The Celtics and the Nets meet for the 4th seeding game for both teams. The Celtics are 1-2 in seeding games so far while the Nets are 2-1 in their first 3 seeding games. Both teams are playing in the second of back to back games. The Celtics are 5-4 on the second night of back to back games while the Nets are 2-7 in the second of back to back games.
This is the fourth game between these two teams this season. The Celtics are 1-2 so far in their first 3 games. The Celtics won 121-110 in Boston on November 27. The Nets turned around and won 112-107 in Brooklyn two nights later on November 29. Finally, the Nets won 129-120 in Overtime on March 3, just before the hiatus.
The Celtics remain third in the East, although with their loss to the Heat, they are now in danger of possibly slipping to 4th. They are now 4.5 games behind Toronto and only 1.5 games ahead of the 4th place Heat. The Nets moved up to 7th place in the East with their win over the Bucks on Tuesday. They are 1/2 game ahead of the 8th place Magic and 8 games ahead of the 9th place Wizards.
The Nets had 7 players opt out of coming to Orlando to play. Some, like Durant and Irving are still rehabbing injuries while others just did not to take a chance due to the pandemic. The Nets signed Lance Thomas, Jamal Crawford, and Justin Anderson to replace some of those players. Jamal Crawford made his debut with the Nets on Tuesday but injured his hamstring in that game and it questionable for this game. The Nets rested Caris LeVert, Joe Harris and Jarrett Allen on Tuesday so they should be fresh for this game.
Kemba Walker is expected to be given the night off for this game given that it is the only back to back set in the seeding games. He has been gradually getting more minutes with each game but should sit out this game for rest. I expect Marcus Smart will get the start in his place.
Key Matchups vs
Jaylen Brown vs Caris LeVert
LeVert is averaging 18.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. He is shooting 41.5% from the field and 37.2% from beyond the arc. He was rested vs the Bucks but had 34 points in the previous game against the Wizards. LeVert scored 51 points in the Nets' OT win over the Celtics in March and so Jaylen will need to stay with him on defense to prevent him from having another big game.
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Gordon Hayward vs Joe Harris
Harris is the Nets' 3 point sniper. He led the league in 3 point percentage last season and won the 3 point shooting contest. He is averaging 14.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. He is shooting 47.7% from the field and 49.1% from beyond the arc. Gordon will definitely have to stay with him on the perimeter.
Honorable MentionDaniel Theis vs Jarrett Allen
Allen is averaging 10.9 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks. He is shooting 64.8% from the field and has not attempted a 3 pointer this season. Daniel needs to keep him out of the paint because when he gets to the hoop he is very dangerous.
Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense is always a key to winning games. The Celtics have slipped to 5th in the league with a defensive rating of 106.6. The Nets are a good defensive team as well with a defensive rating of 108.5 (9th). The Celtics need to play tough, in your face defense and not let up. The Celtics are averaging 113.2 points per game to 111.0 points per game for the Nets. The Nets are allowing 111.6 points per game while the Celtics allow 107.3 points per game. Defense will decide this game.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics need to be the more aggressive team in going after loose balls, rebounds, 50/50 balls, and in going to the basket. They also have to be aggressive on defense. They have to be the team that wants it more and they have to play that way for 48 minutes. They can't let themselves play with less than 100% effort because because the Nets always play hard.
Rebound - The Celtics need the ball in order to score. They need to rebound on the offensive end to give themselves extra possessions and to keep the Nets from getting fast break points. They also need to rebound on the defensive end to keep the Nets from getting second chance points. The Nets are 8th with 13.7 second chance points per game. The Nets are 2nd in the league with 48.3 rebounds per game while the Celtics are 9th with 45.8 rebounds per game.
The Celtics have to give extra effort to beat the Nets to the boards.
Stay Focused on Offense - The Celtics shot just 30% on three pointers against the Heat. In the first game against the Bucks, they struggled to hit their shots and then in their second game against the Blazers they were hitting most of their shots. Once again, against the Heat, they struggled with their offense. They have to stay focused and not rush their shots and they have to go inside if the 3's aren't falling.
X-Factors Underestimating and Effort - With the Nets being so depleted, it would be easy to underestimate them, which it seems the Bucks did on Tuesday. But the Nets, whether down 7 players or 10 players always play hard and are a dangerous team. The Celtics can't take them for granted and give anything less than 100% effort.
Officiating - Just as defense will always be a key to the game, officiating will always be an x-factor. We have already seen a few games where the officiating made a difference between winning and losing for the Celtics. NBA officiating is like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates - you never know what you are going to get. The Celtics have to adjust to how the game is being called and not let bad calls take away their focus.
Topic: Nets (32-35) at Celtics (44-23) Seeding Game #4 8/5/20 (Read 12867 times)