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Boston Celtics (9-8) at Miami Heat (10-5)
Monday, November 30, 2015
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #18, Road Game #8
TV: CSNNE, FS Sun, NBA-LP 752(DTV), 754(xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 790 The Ticket
American Airlines ArenaProbable Starting Matchups
Point Guard vs
Isaiah Thomas vs Goran Dragic
Shooting Guard vs
Avery Bradley vs Dwyane Wade
Small Forward vs
Jae Crowder vs Gerald Green
Power Forward vs
Amir Johnson vs Chris Bosh
Center vs
Jared Sullinger vs Hassan Whiteside
ReservesEvan Turner
RJ Hunter
Jonas Jerebko
David Lee
Terry Rozier
James Young
Kelly Olynyk
Jordan Mickey
Tyler Zeller
Head CoachBrad Stevens
InjuriesMarcus Smart (leg) out
ReservesChris Andersen
Gerald Green
Udonis Haslem
Tyler Johnson
Josh McRoberts
Josh Richardson
Jarnell Stokes
Beno Udrih
Justise Winslow
Head Coach Erik Spoelstra
Injuries Luol Deng (hamstring) out
Amare Stoudemire (illness) out
Chris Bosh (illness) game time decision
Game Notes The Celtics continue to the second game of their 5 game road trip with a stop in Miami. The Celtics face the Heat for the 1st of 3 games this season. The Heat won the series 3-1 last season. The Celtics are 3-4 on the road while the Heat are 8-2 at home.
The Celtics are playing in the second of back to back games after a very disappointing loss to the Magic. They allowed the Magic to out rebound them by 20 and they didn't play their customary team defense, allowing the Magic to shoot 48% from the floor. It's amazing how good the Celtics can look against the Wizards and then how bad they can look against the Magic.
It's safe to say that the Celtics are missing Marcus Smart, especially on the defensive end. Smart will once again be out for the Celtics. They've proved that they can play tough defense without him, but for some reason they tend to slack off from time to time.
For the Heat, Luol Deng has been ruled out with a hamstring injury and Amare Stoudemire has been ruled out with an illness. Gerald Green will probably get the start for Deng. Green started the last game and scored 25, along with playing good defense on Carmelo Anthony. The illness has also hit Chris Bosh who missed the shoot around and is listed as a game time decision.
vs
Amir Johnson vs Chris Bosh
Chris Bosh has been playing very well this season after returning from missing part of last season with blood clots in his lungs. He is leading the Heat with 17.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. He missed the Heat's shoot around on Monday with an illness and is a game time decision. If he can't play, I'm not sure who would start in his place.
vs
Jared Sullinger vs Hassan Whiteside
Whiteside has played very well since coming to the Heat, especially on defense. He is averaging 14.0 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.8 blocks per game. The Celtics will have a tough time scoring inside with Whiteside patrolling the paint.
Honorable Mention Avery Bradley vs Dwyane Wade
Wade isn't the player he once was, but he is still dangerous when he gets going. He is averaging 17.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists. Bradley has always played him well and hopefully he can contain hmi in this game.
Players to WatchGerald Green was the Celtics first round pick in the 2005 draft. He's been around the league and seems to have matured a bit from the high school player who came into the league. He is averaging 10.4 points but has had some big games for the Heat. He will be looking to impress his former team and so look for him to shoot often.
Rumors at draft time had Danny Ainge offering all 4 of the Celtics draft picks and then some to move up for the opportunity to take Winslow. He is averaging 7.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists.
Keys to the Game
DefenseDefense wins games. The Heat are allowing just 91.7 points per game while the Celtics are allowing 96.9 points per game. The team that is able to lock down on defense will be the team to get the win.
ReboundThe Heat are averaging 45.2 rebounds per game while the Celtics are averaging 44.8 rebounds per game. Crashing the boards will give the Celtics extra possessions as well as keeping the Heat from getting fast breaks and second chance points. However, Hassan Whiteside has been cleaning up on the glass for the Heat and the Celtics will need to work hard to win the rebounding battle. The Celtics were out rebounded 54-34 by the Magic and the Celtics will need to work harder on the boards in this game if they want to get a win.
Be AggressiveThe Celtics have to be aggressive in going to the basket and not settle for jumpers, especially if the jumpers aren't falling. They have to dive for loose balls and be aggressive in crashing the boards. They can't afford to slack off or to allow the Heat to play harder than them. They have to be the team that wants it more.
Play Hard for 48 MinutesThe starters need to come out and play aggressively from the beginning and the second unit needs to come in and pick up where they leave off. They have to attack the basket and be aggressive on defense for the whole 48 minutes. No letting up.
Run and Take it to the HoopThe Celtics need to run on every possession. They have the legs to keep it up and not let up and to tire the older Heat out. The Celtics also have to go to the basket and not settle for jumpers. Almost every game they have offensive droughts when their shots just won't go. When that happens, they have to go inside and not continue to hoist up jumpers. Against the Magic they shot just 18.5% from beyond the arc and were outscored in the paint 52-38. They can't do that and expect to win.
X-Factors Bounce Back - The Celtics have had poor games like against the Magic and then bounced back to have a much better game and a win the next game. Will they see what they did wrong against the Magic and come back to correct it for this game? The Celtics are also playing back to back and in the past, the Celtics have made it a point of pride to win on the second night of back to backs. Will that give them extra motivation?
Officiating - Officiating can always be an x-factor. In a lot of games the officiating isn't a factor. But there are some where the officiating completely tilts the game in one direction or the other. Which will the Celtics get in this game?