at 
Los Angeles Lakers (5-27) at Boston Celtics (18-13)
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #32, Home Game #17
TV: NBA-TV,  CSNNE, TWC Sportsnet
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub,  710 AM ESPN
TD Garden



Probable Starters
Point Guard: Isaiah Thomas ---------------- Shooting Guard: Avery Bradley


Center:  Jared Sullinger


Small Forward: Jae Crowder ------------------ Power Forward: Amir Johnson


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

Injuries
David Lee (back) game time decision

Head Coach
Brad Stevens




Probable Starters
Point Guard: Jordan Clarkson-------------------- Shooting Guard: Lou Williams


Center:  Roy Hibbert


Small Forward: Kobe Bryant -------------------- Power Forward: Larry Nance, Jr


Lakers Reserves
Brandon Bass
Tarik Black
Anthony Brown
Marcelo Huertas
Ryan Kelly
Julius Randle
D'Angelo Russell
Robert Sacre
Metta World Peace
Nick Young

Injuries
None

Head Coach
Byron Scott

Game Notes
Although this matchup has lost some of the luster of this rivalry,  there is still something special about a game between these two storied franchises.    Both teams have begun rebuilds since their last Finals meeting, with the Celtics ahead of the Lakers.  This game takes on added significance with Kobe Bryant's retirement announcement. 

The Celtics are 6-4 in their last 10 games and 9-7 at home.  The Lakers are 2-8 in their last 10 games and 3-18 on the road.   The Lakers have lost their last 4 games and are in last place in the West.  The Celtics are on a 4 game win streak and are looking for their first 5 game win streak of the season.  They are 8th in the East, in a statistical tie with Orlando and Chicago who are in 6th and 7th.  All 3 teams are 3 games behind Cleveland for the top spot in the East. 

The Celtics and Lakers tied last season's series with 1 game each.  Each team won on their home court.   Kobe has been the villain on the Celtics biggest rival for 20 years but with this being his last game in Boston,  it's not clear what type of reception he will get in Boston.   Even the Celtics players grew up idolizing Kobe but hopefully they will pay their respects and then set out to destroy him. 

Former Celtic Brandon Bass will be returning to Boston for the first time since signing with the Lakers in free agency this summer.  He was always a team player in Boston but I'm sure that just like every other player facing his former team, he will have a chip on his shoulder and want to beat his former team.  And speaking of chips, Isaiah Thomas should have one against Lou Williams who narrowly beat him out for Sixth Man last year. 

The Lakers are mostly healthy with no announced injuries.  The Celtics are finally almost at full strength as well with Marcus Smart returning to the rotation in Monday's game against the Knicks.  Although he played well in that first game back, he will probably still come off the bench in this one.   David Lee is listed as a game time decision with back spasms. 

  vs 
Jae Crowder vs Kobe Bryant
Kobe's retirement announcement seems to have energized him as he is averaging 21 points in the 8 games after he announced that he was retiring.  He has been a part of the Celtics rivalry for 20 years and I'm sure that beating the Celtics in his final game at the Garden is high on his bucket list.  Jae is one of the best wing defenders in the league and it will be his job to keep Kobe from having a career game in this one.

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Avery Bradley vs Lou Williams
Williams is averaging 13.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists.  He is capable of getting hot in any given game and can hit from beyond the arc if left open.  Avery should be able to keep him from going off in this game.

Honorable Mention
Marcus Smart vs D'Angelo Russell
Assuming that Smart will once again come off the bench, it will be his job to guard the Lakers talented rookie who is averaging 11.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game off the bench. 

Keys to the Game
Focus - With the circus that is Kobe's last game in Boston, the Celtics will need to keep their focus and remember that beating the Lakers is their top priority, not honoring Kobe.  If they stay focused and play as they have over their last 4 games, they should win this one easily. 

Defense -  The Lakers are last in the league in points allowed with 107.5 per game.  The Celtics are 8th best, allowing 98.7 points per game.  When the Celtics play that kind of defense,  they are tough to beat.  They need to play tough team defense in this one and not allow the Lakers' record or Kobe's farewell to get them to let up.  Defense wins games. 

Move the Ball and Play as a Team - The Celtics are 5th in the league with 24.1 assists per game.  When they play as a team and make the extra pass to find the open man,  they play very well.  In their 3 most recent losses they averaged 18 assists per game.  It's not a coincidence that they have high assist numbers in their wins and low assist numbers in their losses. 

Be Aggressive - The Celtics must be the more aggressive team. They have to be aggressive in going to the basket, in diving for loose balls, and on defense.  They have to aggressively crash the boards and just play harder.  They have to be the team that wants it more. 

X-Factors
Home Court - The Celtics are home with the Garden crowd behind them.  They should get a lift from the crowd and be motivated to bring the Celtics another win in this storied rivalry.   The Celtics are 155-127 all time vs the Lakers and 79-48 at home.  This Celtics team needs to protect their home court and add to both of those totals. 

Kobe Circus -  There will be fanfare and a lot of attention paid to Kobe Bryant's final game in the Garden.  He said that he brought his family with him because they have never been to Boston and he wants them to experience the "Green."  The Celtics must stay focused and not let the hoopla surrounding Kobe to affect their game. 

Officiating - Officiating is a factor in every single game played in the NBA.  Every crew has their own biases and their own way of officiating and many times it affects the way the game is played.  Kobe made the comment in an interview that he didn't know how the Lakers won game 7 of the 2010 Finals.   It's very simple.  After the referees allowed both teams to play in the first 3 quarters with the Lakers shooting 16 free throws to 11 for the Celtics, they called the 4th quarter completely one sided with the Lakers shooting 21 free throws to the Celtics 6.   Hopefully they will call this one fairly and let them play.