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Boston Celtics (32-24) at Denver Nuggets (22-33)
Sunday, February 21, 2016
5:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #57 Road Game #30
TV: CSNNE, Altitude, NBA-LP 752(DTV), 752(Xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, KRWZ 960 AM
Pepsi Center
Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
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Isaiah Thomas vs Emmanuel Mudiay
Shooting Guard 
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Avery Bradley vs Gary Harris
Small Forward 
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Jae Crowder vs Danilo Gallinari
Power Forward 
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Amir Johnson vs Kenneth Faried
Center
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Jared Sullinger vs Nikola Jokic
Celtics ReservesEvan Turner
RJ Hunter
Jonas Jerebko
Terry Rozier
James Young
Jordan Mickey
Tyler Zeller
Marcus Smart
Head CoachBrad Stevens
InjuriesKelly Olynyk (shoulder) out
Avery Bradley (knee) game time decision
Marcus Smart (thumb) probable
Nuggets ReservesWill Barton
DJ Augustin
Joffrey Lauvergne
Mike Miller
Jusuf Nurkic
Head CoachMichael Malone
Injuries Darrell Arthur (quad) probable
Jameer Nelson (wrist) doubtful
Wilson Chandler (hip) out
Game Notes The Celtics continue their three game road trip with a stop in the Mile High City to take on the Denver Nuggets. The Celtics are looking to get back on track after losing their first game after the All Star break. They looked sluggish on both ends of the court and need to get back to team play, especially on the defensive end.
The Celtics are playing in the first of back to back games and will head to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves after this game. The Celtics are 6-7 in the first game of back to back games. They are 5-4 when the first game is on the road. The Celtics are 15-14 on the road while the Nuggets are 11-15 at home.
The Nuggets have won 9 of their last 11 games against the Celtics in Denver but have lost 16 of their last 18 in Boston. The Celtics won 10 of their last 12 games going into the All Star break but even while winning those games, their defense has been slipping, allowing over 100 points in each of their last 5 games.
Marcus Smart injured his thumb in the game vs the Jazz but is expected to still play in this game. Avery Bradley injured his knee against the Jazz and is a game time decision for this game. Kelly Olynyk is out with a shoulder sprain. Jordan Mickey played under 3 minutes against the Jazz and still managed 2 points and 2 blocks. Celtics fans are hoping to see a bit more of him in this game.
For the Nuggets, Darrell Arthur (quad) is listed as probable. Former Celtic Jameer Nelson (wrist) is listed as doubtful while Wilson Chandler (hip) is out. The Celtics beat the Nuggets 111-103 in Boston in January and will be looking for their second straight sweep of Denver.
Key Matchups vs
Jae Crowder vs Danilo Gallinari
This may be a tough matchup for both teams. Gallinari has a height advantage and needs to be covered all over the court because he has good range on his shot. On the other hand, Jae has a strength advantage and should be able to out muscle him in the paint. Gallinari is averaging 19.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.6 assists.
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Amir Johnson vs Kenneth Faried
Faried has a motor that doesn't quit. He reminds me of Jae Crowder in some ways (and not just the hair). Faried is averaging 12.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists. Amir will need to keep him out of the paint and off the boards and will need to show more energy than he did against the Jazz.
Honorable MentionEvan Turner vs Will Barton
This is a battle of the key reserves. Barton, nicknamed "Will the Thrill" is averaging 15.5 points per game, which is 3rd in the league for bench scoring. He is also key for the Nuggets in the 4th quarter, averaging 6.4 points in the final quarter, which is 9th best in the league. Turner is the Celtics 4th quarter spark plug and it may come down to which player performs the best. In the first meeting between these two teams, Barton averaged 23 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
Keys to the GameDefense - Defense is the key to winning every game. The Celtics have been slippiong on defense and are now ranked 14th in the league, allowing 101.7 points per game. They have allowed 115.8 points per game over their last 5 games. They allowed Denver to shoot over 54% for the game. The Celtics MUST get back to making defense their priority. If they slack off on defense against the Nuggets, they will certainly make them pay.
Run! - The Celtics are a much better team when they push the ball and run and get easy shots before the defense can set up. When they slow it down, they get stagnant on both ends of the court and struggle to score and get stops. They need to run on every offensive possession and then run back on defense.
Play 48 Minutes - The Celtics have to come out strong and play hard for the entire game. They have to avoid the lapses in the middle where they turn the ball over and miss their shots. They have to focus and keep playing hard from the opening tip until the final buzzer, especially if they get a lead. They tend to let up at times when they get a lead and let the other team come back. The need to work hard to keep that from happening.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics must be the more aggressive team. They have to fight for loose balls, defend aggressively, be aggressive in driving to the basket, and just play harder than the Nuggets for the entire game. They have to be the team that wants it more. They seemed sluggish against the Jazz and because of that, Utah played harder and they lost a very winnable game.
Rebound - The Celtics can't score if they don't have the ball. Much of rebounding is effort and when the Celtics put extra effort into grabbing rebounds, that effort often translates to the rest of their game. They have to crash the boards to give themselves second chance points and to prevent the Nuggets from getting the same.
Move the Ball - The Celtics have to move the ball and find the open man and the best shots. When they lapse into hero ball, they struggle to score. They are at their best when they are assisting on the majority of baskets and keeping the ball moving. The Celtics had only 18 assists against the Jazz and when they dip under 20 in the assist column they struggle. Of course they have to hit their shots and so they have to find the best shots and make them count.
X-Factors Officiating Factor - Officiating will be an X-Factor for every game. Every crew has their own way of calling the games and they have their own agendas. Will they call it fairly or in favor of one team or the other? Will they let them play or call every little contact? Against the Jazz it seemed as though they were calling a foul on every possession and there was little flow to the game. The way the game is called always has an effect on the players.
Bounce Back Factor - The Celtics are coming off of a disappointing loss to the Jazz in which they did not play well and they didn't play the Celtics team ball that we have come to expect from them this season. Can they bounce back and give a better effort in this game?
Topic: Celtics (32-24) at Nuggets (22-33) Game #57 2/21/16 (Read 30319 times)