at
Atlanta Hawks (8-2) at Boston Celtics (3-4)
Friday, November 13, 2015
7:30 PM ET
Game #8 Home Game #6
TV: CSNNE, FSSE, NBA-LP 755(DTV), 753(Xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 92.9 FM The Game
TD Garden
Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard 
vs
Marcus Smart vs Jeff Teague
Shooting Guard 
vs
Avery Bradley vs Kyle Korver
Small Forward 
vs
Jae Crowder vs Kent Bazemore
Power Forward 
vs
Amir Johnson vs Paul Millsap
Center
vs
Jared Sullinger vs Al Horford
Celtics ReservesEvan Turner
RJ Hunter
Jonas Jerebko
David Lee
Jordan Mickey
Terry Rozier
James Young
Tyler Zeller
Kelly Olynyk
Head CoachBrad Stevens
InjuriesAvery Bradley (leg) day to day
Hawks Reserves Tiago Splitter
Dennis Schroder
Justin Holiday
Mike Scott
Shelvin Mack
Lamar Patterson
Tim Hardaway Jr
Walter Tavares
Mike Muscala
Thabo Sefolosha
Head CoachMike Budenholzer
Injuries None
Game Notes The Celtics and Hawks meet for the first of 4 games this season. The Hawks won the season series 2-1 last season, with the Celtics winning their last meeting at home in February. The Hawks started this season hot with 8 wins and losses to only the Pistons and Timberwolves.
The Hawks have played well on the road with a 4-0 record away from Philips Arena. Both teams last played on Wednesday night and have had one day of rest. The Hawks are coming off a win over the Pelicans while the Celtics are trying to forget a poor showing vs the Pacers.
Marcus Smart returned to the Celtics rotation in the last game, coming off the bench. He looked rusty, but hopefully will be in shape to start this game as his defense will be needed against Jeff Teague. Avery Bradley missed the game vs the Pacers and is listed as day to day. His defense would also be helpful against Kyle Korver. The Hawks have no injuries listed.
Key Matchups vs
Marcus Smart vs Jeff Teague
Teague is averaging 18.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Smart returned from the to injury to play against the Pacers but he looked very rusty. Hopefully he has his defensive legs back and can slow Teague down.
vs
Amir Johnson vs Paul Millsap
Millsap is averaging 17.2 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals a game. He is a handful for anyone to have to guard. Amir will need to play well on both ends of the court.
Honorable MentionJared Sullinger vs Al Horford
Jared has been playing well and his defense has won him the starting center position, at least for now. Horford is averaging 17.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. After being very upset about the Celtics performance in the last game, Jared needs to work especially hard to limit Horford's effectiveness.
Keys to the Game Play as a Team - The Celtics played very un-Celtic like in their loss to the Pacers. The Celtics had only 18 assists and seemed to forget to play together on both offense and defense. They have to get back to moving the ball and finding the open man to get the best shot. They are at their best when they share the ball and work together. Hitting some shots wouldn't hurt either.
Take Care of the Ball - The Hawks are 2nd in the league in steals with 10.8 per game and 1st in points off turnovers with 24.5. The Celtics have to move the ball but also make good passes and not allow the Hawks to get extra points off steals and turnovers. If the Celtics get careless, the Hawks will make them pay.
Rebound - The Celtics were out-rebounded by the Pacers in their last game 41-36 and Jared Sullinger was not happy with the Celtics' rebounding efforts. They have to make an extra effort to crash the glass and not give the Hawks extra possessions.
Defense - Defense wins games. It would make defending easier if the Celtics have their starting back court of Smart and Bradley back from injury. The Hawks have players who can put points up in a hurry and the Celtics have to concentrate on defense to keep them from having big games. The Hawks are averaging 64 points in the second half of their last 5 games. The Celtics have got to play tough defense from tip off to final buzzer with no let up.
X-Factors
Injuries - The Celtics need their tough defensive back court healthy and playing well in order to keep Atlanta's high scoring back court in check.
Bounce Back - The Celtics weren't happy with the way they played against the Pacers. Hopefully they will bounce back and give their best effort in this one.
Topic: Hawks (8-2) at Celtics (3-4) Game #8 11/13/15 (Read 23098 times)