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Boston Celtics (21-18) at Los Angeles Lakers (24-16)
Regular Season Game #40 Road Game #16
Sunday, March 11
3:30 PM ET
TV: ABC
Staples Center 
Probable Starters Point Guard: Rajon Rondo ---------------- Shooting Guard: Ray Allen


Center: Kevin Garnett

Small Forward: Paul Pierce ------------------ Power Forward: Brandon Bass

Celtics ReservesMarquis Daniels
Greg Stiemsma
JaJuan Johnson
E'Twaun Moore
Avery Bradley
Sasha Pavlovic
Keyon Dooling
Injured
Jermaine O'Neal (wrist) out
Chris Wilcox (cardiac testing) out
Mickael Pietrus (knee) game time decision

Probable Starters Point Guard: Derek Fisher -------------------- Shooting Guard: Kobe Bryant


Center: Andrew Bynum

Small Forward:Metta World Peace -------------------- Power Forward: Pau Gasol


Lakers ReservesTroy Murphy
Andrew Goudelock
Matt Barnes
Jason Kapono
Devin Ebanks
Josh McRoberts
Darius Morris
Luke Walton
Steve Blake
InjuriesNone listed
Game NotesThe Celtics begin a grueling 8 game road trip against their biggest rival. Both teams played Friday night and both teams had a long plane trip to get to LA. The Lakers have no injuries to report while the Celtics may once again be short handed. They will definitely miss Jermaine O'Neal up front. But they will also miss Chris Wilcox who didn't travel with the team and will be out indefinitely for some type problem that showed up in cardiac tests. Mickael Pietrus made the trip but will be a game time decision with pain and swelling in his surgically repaired knee.
Bynum has already set the tone for the game with his comments that the Lakers will be going at the Celtics' heads because they "don't like them boys." After seeing Kobe's dirty hit on Rubio on Friday that tore his ACL, and the dirty hit that took Perk out in 2010, the Celtics need to take that threat to heart and be ready for them.
The Lakers are ranked 19th in scoring at 94.6 ppg and the Celtics are ranked 26th, scoring 90.9 ppg. Both teams are among the top defensive teams with the Lakers holding opponents to 41.9 FG% (2nd) while the Celtics allow opponents to shoot 42.0% (3rd). The biggest challenge for the Celtics will be on the glass where the Lakers are the top rebounding team at 45.8 per game while the Celtics rank last with 39.0 rpg. The Celtics must put out a strong effort to beat the Lakers on the boards.
Both teams are 6-4 in their last 10 games and both are coming off of a win after suffering a loss on the road. The Lakers have been very tough at home with a 17-2 record at the Staples Center. The Celtics have struggled on the road with just a 4-10 record away from the Garden. The Celtics will face the Clippers on Monday night while the Lakers will have Monday off. Much is made of the Celtics age, but both teams have a starting five with the same average age of 31 years old.
There are a lot of factors going against the Celtics in this game and they will have to make up for those factors with heart, desire, and the will to win.
Key Matchups 
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Rajon Rondo vs Derek Fisher
The Celtics must get a big game with a lot of energy from Rondo. When he is aggressive, he sets the tone for the rest of the team to also play more aggressively. Point guard is the Lakers weakness and the Celtics strength. Rondo must take advantage of it.

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Kevin Garnett vs Andrew Bynum
Brandon Bass vs Pau Gasol
KG has a way of getting into Gasol's head. I expect to see him guarding Gasol rather than Bynum most of the time as Bynum would just brutalize KG with his thuggish tactics. Bass has more bulk to try to defend against Bynum. Either way, these two matchups are going to be very tough for the Celtics.
Honorable Mention Paul Pierce vs Ron Artest
There have been many memorable games between these two over the years. This is personal between these two tough players and expect to see things get heated between them. Artest has even resorted to pulling down Pierce's shorts to get an advantage so I wouldn't put anything past him. Pierce has to keep his head in the game and play him tough, especially on the boards.
Keys to the GameRebound - Rebounding is key to getting a win. A big reason for this is that much of rebounding is effort and desire and the team that wants it most goes harder after the rebounds and the team that wants it more wins the game. The Celtics give up size to the Lakers and so what they lack in size, they must make up for in effort. They must box out and keep the Lakers bigs off the boards. In their last meeting in Boston, it seemed like half of the Lakers points were scored on tip ins. The Celtics must crash the boards in order to prevent that from happening in this game also.
Defense - Defensive intensity is very important. The team that plays the best defense along with figuring out how to deal with the defense of the other team will come out on top. The Celtics must put out a strong effort on defense, especially in the paint and around the basket if they want to win this game.
Run the Offense - The Celtics must move the ball and run their offense. They have so many weapons that if they share the ball and find the open man, they can get good shots, even against good defenses. They have to resist the temptation of trying to do too much individually. They must play as a team because teams win games, not individuals. They did a great job of sharing the ball and making good passes against the Blazers and they must do the same in this game.
Bench Play - The Celtics bench must come through for them in this game. They could be short handed if Wilcox and Pietrus can't play but the remaining players, especially Stiemsma and Johnson must give the team some good minutes since their size will be desperately needed.
Hustle and Effort - The Celtics must come out with energy and go after every loose ball and every rebound. They have to be the team that wants it more if they want to win this game. They came out flat against Philly and stood watching while their opponents went after loose balls and drove to the hoop. The Celtics must be the more aggressive team.
X-FactorsFatigue and the Road
Both teams played in the East on Friday night with the Celtics getting an easy win over the Blazers and the Lakers pulling out a last second win in Minnesota on a bad call by the refs. Both teams had to then travel to LA where the Lakers have the advantage of being home and the Celtics will need to get into a hotel. Which team will deal with the travel and fatigue better?