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Brooklyn Nets (2-10) at Boston Celtics (6-5)
Friday, November 20, 2015
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #12, Home Game #8
TV: CSNNE, YES, League Pass 753(DTV), 752(xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WFAN
TD Garden
Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard vs
Isaiah Thomas vs Jarrett Jack
Shooting Guard vs
Marcus Smart vs Rondae Hollis Jefferson
Small Forward vs
Jae Crowder vs Joe Johnson
Power Forward vs
Amir Johnson vs Thaddeus Young
Center vs
Jared Sullinger vs Brook Lopez
Celtics ReservesAvery Bradley
Evan Turner
RJ Hunter
Jonas Jerebko
David Lee
Jordan Mickey
Terry Rozier
James Young
Tyler Zeller
Kelly Olynyk
Head CoachBrad Stevens
InjuriesNone
Nets ReservesAndrea Bargnani
Bojan Bogdanovic
Markel Brown
Wayne Ellington
Sergey Karasev
Shane Larkin
Thomas Robinson
Donald Sloan
Head CoachLionel Hollins
Injuries Chris McCullough (knee) out
Willie Reed (thumb) out
Game Notes The Celtics and Nets begin a home and home set as the Celtics host the Nets and the Celtics will visit the Barclay Center on Sunday. These same two teams will have another home and home set on 1/2/15 and 1/4/15.
The Nets have won 4 of the last 6 regular season games in Boston after losing the previous 10 in a row. The Nets have won just 2 games so far and the Celtics are watching their record very closely because they own the Net's unconditional pick in this year's draft. At this point it looks as though it is going to be a high lottery pick.
Brooklyn's last 7 games have been decided by single digits. The last 5 games have been within 5 points in the final 2 minutes of the game, including the wins over Houston and Atlanta. These two teams have already met twice in the preseason with the Celtics winning both games.
The Celtics are coming off a tough loss to the Mavericks in which they blew an 18 point lead and missed several chances for the win in the final minute. They need to bounce back with a win in this game. The Celtics are just percentage points ahead of the Raptors for first in the Atlantic. The Raptors are playing the Lakers in LA and the Celtics need a win to keep pace or to move a game ahead.
The Celtics have no injuries to report but Jordan Mickey, James Young, and Terry Rozier were assigned to the Red Claws for their game on Thursday night and might still be with Maine, or they may be recalled. I'm assuming that Brad Stevens will stick with the same starting lineup that he has used for the past 3 games, but we can never be sure.
Key Matchups vs
Isaiah Thomas vs Jarrett Jack
Jack is averaging 14.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 7.5 assists. Jack is 4th in the league in assists and 9th in assist to turnover ratio. He also seems to always give the Celtics problems. I expect to see Marcus Smart or Avery Bradley covering him on defense.
vs
Jared Sullinger vs Brook Lopez
Lopez will be a challenge for Sullinger to defend. He is averaging 19.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks. Sully needs to be able to keep him away from the basket and away from his preferred spots on offense.
Honorable Mention Amir Johnson vs Thaddeus Young
Young is averaging 15.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists. In his last game he had 27 points and 8 rebounds and can get hot and he is also a good rebounder and so Johnson needs to box him out.
Keys to the Game Defense - The Celtics need to continue to play their brand of stifling team defense. Hopefully the referees will be better in this game and allow them to play. Defense wins games and the Celtics' defense will be key to getting this win.
Rebound - In their last 8 games, the Nets have outscored opponents 116-73 in second chance points. They are averaging 14.5 second chance points per game. The Celtics have to crash the boards and win the rebounding battle to limit the Nets' second chance points as well as to give themselves extra possessions.
Run and Move the Ball - The Celtics need to run on every possession and they need to keep the ball moving. When they run and move the ball, they are much more effective in finding the open man and getting good shots.
Take Care of the Ball - The Celtics are averagind 16.3 turnovers per game while the Nets are averaging 14.3 turnovers per game. The Celtics have to take care of the ball and make smart passes and not give the Nets extra possessions by turning it over.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics need to be the more aggressive team in going after loose balls, rebounds, 50/50 balls, and in going to the basket. They also have to be aggressive on defense. They have to be the team that wants it more and they have to play that way for 48 minutes.
X-Factors
Focus - There was no question that the officiating was terrible in the game against the Mavs. They officials took the Celtics out of their game defensively and the Celtics have to learn to focus regardless of any outside influences. Hopefully the officiating will be better in this game.
It's the Nets - Hopefully the Celtics will respect the Nets and not underestimate them because of their record. Hopefully they also realize the double benefit of beating the Nets to improve their lottery standing.