Celtics (13-10) at Hornets (14-8) Game #24 12/12/15

[FLCeltsFan]

  at 
Boston Celtics (13-10) at Charlotte Hornets  (14-8)
Saturday, December 12, 2015
7:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #24 Road Game #12
TV: CSN-NE, FSSE, NBA-LP 753(DTV)/754(XFinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WFNZ 610 AM
Time Warner Cable Arena



Probable Starters
PG SG SF PF C
Isaiah Thomas.....Avery Bradley....Jae Crowder....Amir Johnson....Jared Sullinger

Celtics Reserves
Evan Turner
Jonas Jerebko
Terry Rozier
James Young
Kelly Olynyk
Jordan Mickey
Tyler Zeller
David Lee

Injuries
Marcus Smart (leg) out
RJ Hunter (hip) day to day

Head Coach
Brad Stevens




Probable Starters
PG SG SF PF C
Kemba Walker....Nicolas Batum....PJ Hairston....Marvin Williams....Cody Zeller

Hornets Reserves
Troy Daniels
Tyler Hansbrough
Aaron Harrison
Spencer Hawes
Frank Kaminsky
Jeremy Lamb
Jeremy Lin
Brian Roberts

Injuries
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (shoulder) out
Al Jefferson (suspended)  out

Head Coach
Steve Clifford

Game Notes
The Celtics traveled to Charlotte after a tough double overtime loss to the Golden State Warriors on Friday night.  The Charlotte Hornets are also playing in the second of back to back games, having traveled from Memphis after a 123-99 win over the Grizzlies. 

The Hornets are for real.  They are 10-3 at home and have won their last 4 games.  They have the 2nd best record in the East right now so the Celtics can't take them for granted.  Both teams will be battling fatigue after a game the night before as well as having to travel overnight. 

The Celtics pride themselves in playing well on the second night of back to backs.  They are 3-1 in those games this season and have won their last 3 in a row.  The Hornets are 2-0 on the second night of back to back games.

Marcus Smart will sit out yet another game for the Celtics with the leg injury.  RJ Hunter is still considered day to day with the hip injury.  For the Hornets, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is out with a shoulder injury while former Celtic Al Jefferson is suspended for this game as part of a 5 game suspension for a drug offense. 

Key Matchups
vs
Isaiah Thomas vs Kemba Walker
 Walker is averaging 17.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.9 steals per game and is playing as well as just about any point guard in the league.  After dealing with Stephen Curry on Friday night, it won't get any easier for the Celtics having to try to slow down Walker. 

vs
Avery Bradley vs Nicolas Batum
Batum has also been playing very well and is averaging 16.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.2 steals a game.  He had a triple double in the Hornets' win over the Heat on Wednesday. 


Keys to the Game
Forget About the Warriors - The Celtics lost a very tough double OT game to the Warriors on Friday night and have to turn around and play another tough team the next night.  They need to forget about that loss and come out with the mindset of beating the Hornets.  Don't let that loss hangover this game. 

Rebound - The Celtics can't run and they can't score if they don't have the ball. They must crash the boards as a team and put out the extra effort it takes to get the rebounds. Charlotte surrenders the 4th fewest offensive rebounds per game at 9.1 per game. Much of rebounding is effort  and the Celtics must put out more effort, especially on the boards,than the Hornets if they want to win this game. 

Defense - Defense is always a key to getting a win. The Celtics have to get stops, especially down the stretch. The Hornets average 103.1 points per game and they allow just 98 points per game. The Celtics will need to work hard on defense if they want to get the win.  They have to play as a team and trust each other on defense and have each others' backs. 

Be Aggressive - When the Celtics are aggressive going after loose balls, crashing the boards, defending and taking the ball hard to the hoop, they are very tough to beat. They have to be the more aggressive team and they have to be the team that plays harder. Being the more aggressive team will also usually get them more calls from the refs (except against the Warriors).

Move the Ball but Limit Turnovers - The Celtics must move the ball and find the open man. They struggle to score when the ball stops moving. At the same time, they have to limit turnovers. They give away way too many points by making careless passes and by losing focus. The Hornets turn the ball over just 12.5 times a game, which is the fewest in the league. The Celtics have to take care of the ball and keep their turnovers low as well.

X-Factors
Fatigue and Depth - Both teams are playing in back to back games and had to travel overnight.  The Celtics depth could be a factor here but playing the next night after a double OT loss is a lot tougher than playing after an easy win. 

Officiating - We saw in the Golden State game first hand that officiating can make a big difference in the outcome of the game.  Hopefully the officials are a bit more even in this game. 

[csfansince60s]

Boy, your turnaround time is quick! Tp FLCeltsfan. Back to backs are  tough on teams, especially with this exciting multiple OT stuff,but tougher on you. Two games  for us in less than 24 hours traveling to Charlotte, but Hornets have to do same.

No Al Jeff and our depth hopefully carries the day.

Go Cs!!!

Great hats

[max215]

Let's see what these guys have left in 'em after tonight.

[FLCeltsFan]

TP csfansince60s for being the first to post in the thread.   

What was tough was that I had forgotten that we had a back to back and I had to put this one together after the game.  Whew.  I need a rest LOL. 

[celticsclay]

TP csfansince60s for being the first to post in the thread.   

What was tough was that I had forgotten that we had a back to back and I had to put this one together after the game.  Whew.  I need a rest LOL.

Ugh I wish we were playing a different team. Charlotte is on fire right now

[csfansince60s]

TP csfansince60s for being the first to post in the thread.   

What was tough was that I had forgotten that we had a back to back and I had to put this one together after the game.  Whew.  I need a rest LOL.

Ugh I wish we were playing a different team. Charlotte is on fire right now

Yah, they just killed Memphis and I think they've won 9 of last 11.

We'll probably be spent, but they just played too and have been playing over their heads. Hopefully no Al Jeff helps us.

[hwangjini_1]

hello flc. thanks for the thread.

hats, the celtics need hats to win and flc has provided them. victory is secure since we now have hats.

gooooo hats celtics!!!!!

p.s. another tp. soon your tps will surpass your post number, as they should. 

[FLCeltsFan]

A TP to max215 because your time tied csfansince60s for the first post.  You pretty much posted at the same time. 

And a TP to hwangjini_1 for always giving me a smile!   Go Celtics!  (and hats!!! ) 

[Rosco917]

I'm interested in seeing if the Celtics can come back, after an emotional, double overtime loss. Not gonna be easy, I'm picturing a game that see's them fall behind and come back. 

This year has been interesting so far, we have quite a few players that have noticeably gotten better.
Avery, Sully, Kelly, and Crowder look like they've taken another step.

[esel1000]

Not going to lie I'm still spent from last night...can't even imagine how the players feel. May be a tough one

[KeepRondo]

Forget the players being too tired, I'm still too drained for this game.

[bello_man09]

time to bounce back 

[jpotter33]

Something has to be done about IT's decision-making. He does not have the percentages to shoot some of the pull-ups and off the dribble shots that he takes.

[max215]

AB is filthy.

[jpotter33]

Does Charlotte have the shooting personnel to play like this?