Kings (13-18) at Celtics (10-18) Game #29 12/31/14

[FLCeltsFan]

  at 
Sacramento Kings (13-18) at Boston Celtics (10-18)
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
1:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #29, Home Game #17
TV: CSNNE, CSNCA, NBA-LP 750(DTV)/751,752(xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, KHTK 1140
TD Garden



Probable Celtics Starters
PG  SG  SF  PF  C
Marcus Smart/ Avery Bradley/ Jeff Green/ Jared Sullinger/ Tyler Zeller

Celtics Reserves
Phil Pressey
Evan Turner
Brandon Bass
Kelly Olynyk
Gerald Wallace
Jameer Nelson
Jae Crowder
Brandan Wright
James Young

Injuries
Marcus Thornton (calf) day to day
Jared Sullinger (ankle)  day to day




Probable Kings Starters
PG SG SF PF C
Darren Collison/ Ben McLemore/ Rudy Gay/ Jason Thompson/ DeMarcus Cousins

Kings Reserves
Omri Casspi
Reggie Evans
Ryan Hollins
Carl Landry
Ray McCallum
Nik Stauskas
Derrick Williams

Injuries
Ramon Sessions (back)  out
Eric Moreland  (shoulder)  out

Game Notes
The Celtics host the Sacramento Kings for the first of 2 meetings this season. They will meet again  in February when the Celtics go on their west coast trip. This is the second of a 4 game road trip for the Kings.  They began the trip with a loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday. 

The Celtics have lost their last 4 games and hope to avoid a 5 game losing streak with a win in this game.  The Celtics are 7-9 at home while the Kings are 5-8 on the road.  Neither team has been playing very well with the kings going 2-8 in their last 10 games and the Celtics not much better with 3-7 in their last 10.

When the Celtics and Kings last played,  Marcus Thornton was the starting shooting guard for the Sacramento Kings.   He is now hoping to be able to come back from a calf injury to play in this game against his former team.  He was able to practice on Monday and Tuesday and will be a game time decision for this game.   Jared Sullinger has been out of practice with an ankle injury, but is still hoping to be able to play in this one.  He is also a game time decision. 

Key Matchups
  vs 
Tyler Zeller vs DeMarcus Cousins
Cousins has been tearing it up recently, averaging 24.7 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game.  He has 12 double doubles in his last 13 games.   It will be difficult to slow him down but the Celtics bigs will have to try.

  vs 
Jeff Green vs Rudy Gay
Gay has been playing well  and is the Kings second highest scorer with 21.2 points, 6.3 points and 4.6 assists per game.   Green needs to bring his A game on both ends of the court to get the better of this matchup.

Keys to the Game
Limit Turnovers - The Celtics have been turning the ball over way too much, especially early in the game.  Turnovers usually lead to an easy score at the other end for their opponents and so it's important to focus on their ball handling and passes so as not to give their opponents that advantage.

Rebound - The Celtics have to put out the extra effort to grab the rebounds on both ends of the court. By doing so, they limit the second chance points and fast breaks for the Kings and also give themselves extra possessions. 

Defense - The Celtics tend to allow way too many open looks and easy points. They have to make playing defense as a team a priority. Defense not only wins championship, it wins games as well.  They have to defend the paint better along with closing out on the 3 point shooters. 

Start Strong - The Celtics have had very sluggish first quarters in their past few games.  They need to come out strong and get off to a better start.  It's tough to dig out from a big hole when they start off slowly. 

Be Aggressive - The Celtics must be the more aggressive team.  They have to go after loose balls, rebounds and also be more aggressive defensively.  The more aggressive team usually gets the calls and also the win. 

X-Factors
Practice and Home Court
The Celtics have had 2 days of much needed practice to work in the new players as well as get used to a new point guard.  Hopefully it will have a positive effect on their play.  They are also at home and hopefully that will give them a boost from the home crowd. 

[mr. dee]

Hoping to see another Sully-Boogie matchup.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwTIdJyJiyc

[saltlover]

10-180?  I know it's been a rough year, but I didn't realize it was that bad.

[FLCeltsFan]

TP mr. dee for being the first to post in the game thread.  And yes, that last matchup was classic.  Would be nice to see Sully break out and have another big one.   Hopefully he'll be able to play. 

TP also to saltlover for giving me a smile.   Fixed it now.   

[saltlover]

TP also to saltlover for giving me a smile.   Fixed it now. 

And a Tommy Point to you for coming through with these every game.

[cb8883]

Seeing Pressey on the bench bugs me. He should be starting while Banks 2.0 is in Maine learning how to hit a jump shot.

[BleedGreen1989]

Seeing Pressey on the bench bugs me. He should be starting while Banks 2.0 is in Maine learning how to hit a jump shot.

LOL cause Pressey is Pistol Pete out there.

Never stop being you CB.

[KGs Knee]

Seeing Pressey on the bench bugs me. He should be starting while Banks 2.0 is in Maine learning how to hit a jump shot.

Thanks again for the comedy routine, makes me laugh every time.

[esel1000]

Seeing Pressey on the bench bugs me. He should be starting while Banks 2.0 is in Maine learning how to hit a jump shot.

LOL cause Pressey is Pistol Pete out there.

Never stop being you CB.

Lol sometimes I think CB just posts this stuff to get a reaction... it's hard to believe these can be real thoughts.

On a side note if his name wasn't Marcus would he garner Banks comparisons?

[kozlodoev]

Seeing Pressey on the bench bugs me. He should be starting while Banks 2.0 is in Maine learning how to hit a jump shot.

Just out of curiosity, is this because Pressey knows how to hit a jump shot?

[clover]

Seeing Pressey on the bench bugs me. He should be starting while Banks 2.0 is in Maine learning how to hit a jump shot.

Just out of curiosity, is this because Pressey knows how to hit a jump shot?

Yes--but he's keeping it a secret.

[hwangjini_1]

last game of the year, and the celtics will win another one!

gooooo celtics! the wright cousins matchup might be interesting.

oh, and tp for the op as ever. thanks for the thread.

[jpotter33]

Uggghhh this is the first game I'll be able to watch since we started sucking again after the Rondo trade. I don't know what to root for now: a win or a loss. It's back to the crappy ole 2013-2014 season again!

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

I'm starting to question CBS' coaching at this point, not just for this either...


Turner starting. Make up your mind!

[MarcusStart]

Something tells me Nelson will be the first point guard of the bench instead of Smart.