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Boston Celtics (10-8) at Sacramento Kings (7-12)
Thursday, December 3, 2015
10:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #19, Road Game #9
TV: CSNNE, CSNCA, NBA-LP 755(DTV)/757(xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 1140 AM
Mexico City Arena
Probable Celtics StartersPG
SG
SF
PF
C
Isaiah Thomas / Avery Bradley / Jae Crowder / Amir Johnson / Jared Sullinger
Celtics ReservesEvan Turner
RJ Hunter
Jonas Jerebko
David Lee
Terry Rozier
James Young
Kelly Olynyk
Jordan Mickey
Tyler Zeller
InjuriesMarcus Smart (leg) out
Head CoachBrad Stevens
Probable Kings StartersPG
SG
SF
PF
C
Rajon Rondo / Ben McLemore/ Rudy Gay/ DeMarcus Cousins/ Willie Cauley Stein
Kings ReservesQuincy Acy
James Anderson
Marco Belinelli
Omri Casspi
Darren Collison
Seth Curry
Duje Dukan
Kosta Koufos
Eric Moreland
InjuriesCaron Butler (knee) questionable
Head CoachGeorge Karl
Game Notes The Celtics continue on to the 3rd game of their 5 game road trip as they travel south of the boarder for a meeting with the Sacramento Kings. These two teams split the series last season with each team winning on their home court. Even though this is listed at Celtics at Kings, both teams are on the road at the Mexico City Arena in Mexico City, Mexico.
The last game in Sacramento was the first game after the trade deadline with Isaiah Thomas and Jonas Jerebko on the roster but unable to play. It was also George Karl's first game as coach of the Kings. DeMarcus Cousins lead the Kings to a 109-101 victory in that game with 31 points and 15 rebounds.
The Kings record of 7-12 is a little misleading in that they are just 1-7 without DeMarcus Cousins who has missed 8 games with various injuries. They are 6-5 with Cousins in the lineup. They are coming off a big win over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday when Cousins returned after a 3 game absence with soreness in his lower back.
Of course, the big story will be Rajon Rondo playing against his former team. After a rough time with the Mavericks last season, he has been rejuvenated and is playing at an all star level once again. He leads the league with 4 triple doubles in his first month with the Kings. On the other side, Isaiah Thomas was drafted 60th overall by the Kings in 2011 and will also be facing his former team.
The Celtics are 1-1 on their current road trip and 4-4 overall away from the Garden. The Kings are 2-6 away from Sleep Train Arena. This game is part of NBA's Global Games 2015 and is the 3rd game held in Mexico City.
Key Matchups vs
Amir Johnson vs DeMarcus Cousins
Cousins is a force on both defense and offense. He is averaging 28.2 points, 11.0 rebounds and 1.68 blocks. The Celtics will have their hands full trying to contain him in this game. Expect to see at least one alley oop from Rondo to Cousins in this game.
vs
Isaiah Thomas vs Rajon Rondo
Rajon Rondo is going to want to put on a show for his former team. He is averaging 12.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 10.7 assists and 1.68 steals. He scored 29 points in his first meeting with the Celtics as a Maverick. He scored 21 points on Monday against those same Mavericks. As is often the case, we may see Avery Bradley covering Rondo on defense. If Rondo feels up to it, he can also play some tough defense so Isaiah may struggle to score against him.
Honorable MentionJae Crowder vs Rudy Gay
Gay is capable of putting up a lot of points in a short time. He is averaging 18.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists. Jae is a very good defender and should be able to slow Gay down.
Brad Stevens vs George Karl
We have a matchup of the new guard vs the old guard. Stevens is one of the best new coaches in the league and George Karl is considered to be one of the best of the very experienced coaches in the league. This should be fun to watch.
Keys to the GameRebound - Much of rebounding is effort and desire. The Celtics have to put out 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 have tried to make defense their priority so far this season. Defense not only wins championship, it wins games as well. They have to defend the paint to keep Cousins especially away from the basket as well as closing out on the 3 point shooters. They have to play tough team defense to get a win in this one.
Start Strong and Play 48 Minutes - There have been times that the Celtics come out sluggish and other times when they seem to fall apart down the stretch. They have to come out strong in the first quarter and play tough as a team until the final buzzer. No let up.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics must be the more aggressive team. They have to go after loose balls, rebounds and also be more aggressive defensively. They have to be aggressive in going to the basket and also in moving the ball. The more aggressive team usually gets the calls and also the win.
Run and Move the Ball- The Celtics play best when they run on every possession and when they keep the ball moving to find the best shot. They need to run on offense to get easy shots before the Kings defense can set up. They also need to run on defense to keep the Kings from getting into their sets and to keep them from getting easy baskets. They also have to move the ball. When they tend to dribble too much, the rest of their game seems to become stagnant.
X-Factors
Mexico City - Both teams are on the road, which is an unusual situation for a regular season game. Which team will respond better to being in the unusual situation? (Also, don't drink the water)
Officiating - Regardless of whether in the US or in Mexico, the officiating is an x-factor. Whether because of the tendencies of individual refs, or an agenda on behalf of the refs or the league, each game is officiated differently and that can favor or throw a team off on any given night.
Topic: Celtics (10-8) at Kings (7-12) Game #19 12/3/15 (Read 48993 times)