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Golden State Warriors (33-25) at Boston Celtics (30-27)
Friday, March, 1, 2013
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #58, Road Game #30
TV: CSN-NE, CSN-BA, NBA-LP 756(GSW)/757(BOS)
Radio: WEEI, KNBR
TD Garden
Probable Starters PG Avery Bradley 9.3 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 1.7 APG,
SG Courtney Lee 7.9 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 1.7 APG
SF Paul Pierce 18.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 4.5 APG
PF Brandon Bass 7.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 0.9 APG,
C Kevin Garnett 15.1 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 2.3 APG
Reserves Jason Terry
Jeff Green
Chris Wilcox
Fab Melo
Jordan Crawford
DJ White
Terrence Williams
InjuriesRajon Rondo (knee) out
Jared Sullinger (back) out
Probable Starters PG Stephen Curry 21.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 6.5 APG,
SG Klay Thompson 16.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.3 APG,
SF Harrrison Barnes 9.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.4 APG
PF David Lee 19.0 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 3.7 APG,
C Andris Biedrins 0.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 0.3 APG,
Reserves Jarrett Jack
Draymond Green
Carl Landry
Kent Bazemore
Richard Jefferson
Festus Ezeli
InjuriesAndrew Bogut (back) out
Brandon Rush (knee) out
Team ConnectionsBrandon Rush and Paul Pierce attended Kansas
Jason Terry and Richard Jefferson both attended
Arizona
Chris Wilcox and David Lee both played for New York during the 2008
-09 season.
Game Notes A rested Celtics team will try to extend their 7 game home win streak and avenge their earlier loss as they host the Golden State Warriors. The Celtics have been off since Monday and have had a chance to get some rest along with giving the new guys a chance to learn the system a bit better. The Warriors are playing the 4th of a 5 game road trip and last played on Wednesday in New York. They will finish their trip in a back to back on Saturday in Philly.
The Celtics lost to the Warriors 101-83 on the road on Dec. 29, with Curry getting 22 points and nine assists and Lee scoring 20 on 10-of-15 shooting. Curry was 4 for 5 from 3-point range and the Warriors, who are the NBA's best 3-point shooting team, hit 12 of 19 from beyond the arc.
Both teams are fighting for playoff positioning and every game now becomes important for them. The Celtics are in 7th place, 2 games behind Chicago for 6th and 3.5 games behind both Brooklyn and Atlanta for 4th and 5th. They are 1.5 games ahead of Milwaukee for the 8th spot. The Warriors are in 6th place in the West, 2 games ahead of Utah in 7th and 2.5 games ahead of Houston for 8th. They are 2.5 games behind Denver for 5th.
The Celtics are 6-4 in their last 10 games while the Warriors are just 3-7 in their last 10. The Celtics have played well at home with a 20-9 record at the Garden. The Warriors have struggled a bit on the road, with just a 15-8 record. The Warriors are hoping to break a 2 game losing streak while the Celtics are hoping to win their second straight.
The Celtics should get their first look at newly signed big man DJ White, who is playing on a 10 day contract. He should help the Celtics on the boards. Terrence Williams and Jordan Crawford should both be a bit more familiar with the Celtics system after a couple of days of practice and hopefully we will see more of them as well.
Key Matchups vs
Avery Bradley vs Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry is a tough cover for anyone. He is coming off a 54 point explosion against the Knicks on Wednesday. Both Avery and Courtney Lee have promised that Curry won't score 54 points on them in this game. Bradley's defensive skills will definitely get a workout in this one. Curry sometimes will have defensive lapses and when he does, Avery needs to be ready to take advantage.
vs
Brandon Bass vs David Lee
Lee is a tough player and isn't above playing rough and dirty as evidenced by the fact that he was suspended for the Warriors last game because of a shoving match. Lee is leading his team in rebounding and so Bass needs to box him out and deny him position for rebounds to prevent second chance baskets and, especially, tip ins and put backs. Lee plays hard every game and Bass needs to match his intensity. Lee's 37 double-doubles lead the league and he is averaging 27.7 points and 12.0 rebounds in his last three games at Boston.
Honorable MentionCourtney Lee vs Klay Thompson
Lee will have his hands full with the 6'7" Thompson, who is averaging 16.3 points per game. The Celtics "Pit Bulls" ability to stop Curry and Thompson will be key to winning this game.
Keys to the Game Defense - The Warriors can put up points quickly and in bunches. It will be important for the Celtics to bring their defensive intensity into this game, especially to shut down the Warriors' fast breaks. The Celtics won't if they try to outscore the Warriors without playing tough defense on them. The Celtics must guard the perimeter as the Warriors lead the league in 3 point percentage are dangerous from beyond the arc.
Rebound - The Celtics need to crash the boards to keep the Warriors from igniting their fast breaks. The Celtics also need to rebound to give themselves second chance points and limit the second chance points for the Warriors. The Warriors are 26-6 this season when they out rebound their opponents.
Take Care of the Ball - The Warriors can be very disruptive by getting into the passing lanes and are very good at scoring off turnovers. The Celtics seem to go through periods in every game where they turn over the ball several times in a row. The Celtics need to stay focused and not give the Warriors any easy opportunities to steal the ball or to get out on the break.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics need to come out focused and take control of the game from the beginning. The Celtics also have to be the more aggressive team throughout the game. They must be aggressive on defense, on the boards, in chasing down lose balls, and in taking the ball to the hoop and not settling for jumpers.
X-FactorsRust vs Rest
The Celtics have been off since Monday while the Warriors played a tough game on Wednesday. The Celtics' veterans had a much needed two days of rest while the new guys had a chance to practice and learn. Hopefully they won't come out rusty but will instead be energized and come out strong.