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San Antonio Spurs (26-11) at Boston Celtics (24-13)
Saturday, January 10, 2026
8:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #38 Home Game #19
TV: NBCSB, FDSNSW, NBA-LP
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WOAI/KXTN
TD Garden 
Probable Celtics Starters PG
SG
SF
PF
C
PG: Derrick White
SG: Payton Pritchard
SF: Jaylen Brown
PF: Sam Hauser
C: Neemias Queta
Celtics ReservesAnfernee Simons
Hugo Gonzalez
Xavier Tillman
Jordan Walsh
Luka Garza
Baylon Scheierman
2-Way PlayersRon Harper, Jr
Max Shulga
Amari Williams
Injuries/OutJayson Tatum (Achilles) out
Josh Minott (ankle) out
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Probable Spurs StartersPG
SG
SF
PF
C
PG: De'Aaron Fox
SG: Stephon Castle
SF: Julian Champagnie
PF: Harrison Barnes
C: Luke Kornet
Spurs ReservesBismack Biyombo
Carter Bryant
Dylan Harper
Keldon Johnson
Jordan McLaughlin
Kelly Olynyk
Jeremy Sochan
Stanley Umude
Lindy Waters III
Victor Wembanyama
2-Way Players Harrison Ingram
David Jones Garcia
Injuries/Out Devin Vassell (thigh) out
Julian Champagnie (back) questionable
Head Coach Mitch Johnson
Game Notes The Celtics complete their 5 game home stand with a visit from the San Antonio Spurs. This is the first of 2 games between these two teams this season. They will play the final game between them in San Antonio on March 10. The Celtics have won the last 6 games against the Spurs. This is the 2nd of back to back games for the Celtics. They are 5-1 on the second night of back to back games this season.
The Spurs made several changes in the off season. They signed Luke Kornet and Lindy Waters III as free agents. They traded Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley to Washington for Kelly Olynyk. They lost Sandro Mamukelashvili to Toronto and Chris Paul to the Clippers as free agents. They drafted Dylan Harper with the 2nd pick in the draft and Carter Bryant with the 14th pick in the draft.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 4 games behind 1st place Detroit, and half a game ahead of 3rd place New York. They are 2 games ahead of 4th place Toronto, 2.5 games ahead of 5th place Philadelphia, and 4 games ahead of 6th place Miamy, 7th place Cleveland and 8th place Orlando. The Celtics are 7-5 against Western Conference opponents. They are 12-6 at home and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a win in their last game.
The Spurs are 2nd in the West, 4.5 games behind first place Oklahoma City. They are 1 game ahead of 3rd place Denver, 1.5 games ahead of 4th place Minnesota, 2 games ahead of the 5th place LA Lakers, and 2.5 games ahead of 6th place Houston. They are 11-2 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 12-6 on the road and 6-4 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a win in their last game.
This is the final game of a 4 game home stand for the Celtics. They started the home stand with a win over Chicago, a loss to Denver and a win over the Raptors. Next, they go on a 4 game road trip through Indiana, Miami, Atlanta and Detroit. They will then play one game at home against Indiana before playing Brooklyn and Chicago on the road. They will then have another 4 game home stand against Portland, Atlanta, Sacramento and Milwaukee.
The Spurs are playing in the 1st of a 3 game road trip., They will play at Minnesota and at Oklahoma City to close out the road trip. They then host Milwaukee, Minnesota, and Utah before playing Houston and Utah on the road. They then have one game at home against New Orleans before playing at Houston, and at Charlotte,.
Both teams will be mostly healthy. The Celtics are still missing Jayson Tatum who is rehabbing from the Achilles tear he suffered in last year's playoffs. Josh Minott is out with an ankle sprain. For the Spurs, Devin Vassell will miss his 6th straight game due to a left adductor strain. Julian Champagnie is questionable due to mid-back soreness and will be a game time decision.
Key Matchups vs
Derrick White vs De'Aaron Fox
Fox is averaging 21 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He is shooting 46.7% from the field and 34.1% from beyond the arc. Fox is one of the fastest players in the league and the Celtics need to keep him from getting out on the break.
vs
Payton Pritchard vs Stephon Castle
Castle is averaging 17.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 1.3 steals. He is shooting 48.2% from the field and 26.9% from beyond the arc. The Spurs back court is always a threat to steal the ball and create turnovers. The Celtics have to take care of the ball.
Honorable Mention Luka Garza vs Victor Wembanyama
Wembanyama has been coming off the bench for the Spurs since returning from an injury. He may continue to come off the bench or he may return to the starting lineup. Regardless, both Queta and Garza will need to deal with him. He is averaging 24.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.9 blocks per game while shooting 52.1% from the field and 36.2% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to try to keep him out of the paint and off the boards.
Keys to the Game Defense - Defense will always be the most important key to winning games. The Celtics are 15th with a defensive rating of 114.5 while the Spurs are 4th with a defensive rating of 111.8. The Celtics need to defend the perimeter because the Spurs shoot 37 threes per game (17th) and they shoot 35% as a team. They also need to defend the paint as the Spurs average 51.2 points in the paint per game. The Celtics need to make defense a priority and play tough team defense from start to finish and not let up.
Rebound - The Celtics can't score if they don't have the ball, and they will struggle if they give up second chance points to the Spurs. The Celtics are averaging 44.4 rebounds per game (16th) while the Spurs are averaging 46.6 rebounds per game (2nd). The Celtics are going to have to work extra hard on the boards in this game. When the Celtics put in extra effort on the boards, that effort tends to spread to other areas of the game as well.
Play the Right Way - The Celtics need to move the ball to find the best shot. When they play hero ball and don't keep the ball moving, the Celtics struggle. But, when they keep the ball moving and move without the ball, they are very tough to beat. They need to focus on playing defense and having each others backs. They need to crash the boards and box out. They need to focus on taking and making good shots. If the 3's aren't falling, take the ball to the basket. Play with focus and with energy.
To 3 or Not to 3 - The Celtics are 2nd in the league, attempting 43.2 threes a game. When they fall, the Celtics are tough to beat. But, when they aren't falling, the Celtics struggle. If the Celtics aren't hitting their 3s, they have to go to Plan B and take the ball to the basket or shoot from midrange. If the 3s are falling, great!! If not, go to Plan B. The Spurs are a good defensive team and will try to chase the Celtics off the 3 point line and they need to be ready for that.
X-Factors Home Game and Back to Back - The Spurs will likely be feeling some fatigue from travel and being on the road and from staying in hotels and playing in front of a hostile crowd. The Celtics need to take advantage of having the crowd behind them and from playing in the friendly confines of the TD Garden. The Celtics are playing on the second night of back to back games. They have been good so far, going 5-1 in the second game. But, fatigue could come into play down the stretch.
Officiating - Officiating is always an X-Factor. Every crew officiates differently and teams need to adjust to the way the game is called. Will they call the game evenly or favor the home team? Will they call it tight or let them play? Hopefully we get fair officiating and they let them play and the Celtics focus on playing and not on the officiating.
Topic: Spurs (26-11) at Celtics (24-13) Game 38 1/10/26 (Read 620 times)