Celtics (33-24) at Timberwolves (17-39) Game #58 2/22/16

[FLCeltsFan]

  at 
Boston Celtics (33-24) at Minnesota Timberwolves (17-39)
Monday, February 22, 2016
8:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #58, Road Game #31
TV: CSN-NE, FS North, NBA-LP 757(DTV)/757(Xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WCCO-AM 830
Target Center



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

Celtics Reserves
Evan Turner
RJ Hunter
Jonas Jerebko
Jordan Mickey
Terry Rozier
James Young
Tyler Zeller

Head Coach
Brad Stevens

Injuries
Kelly Olynyk (shoulder)  out
Avery Bradley (knee) probable
Marcus Smart (thumb) probable




Probable Starters
PGSGSF PF C
Ricky Rubio...Zach LaVine...Andrew Wiggins... Gorgui Dieng... Karl-Anthony Towns

Timberwolves Reserves
Tyus Jones
Kevin Martin
Andre Miller
Shabazz Muhammad
Adreian Payne
Tayshaun Prince
Damjan Rudez

Injuries
Nemanja Bjelica (foot)  doubtful
Kevin Garnett (knee) doubtful
Nikola Pekovic (foot) doubtful

Coach
Sam Mitchell

Game Notes
The Celtics close out their 3 game Western road trip with a stop in Minnesota to visit Kevin Garnett and the Timberwolves.  The Celtics are looking to sweep the Timberwolves after beating them 113-99 in Boston before Christmas.  The Celtics have lost their last 3 in Minnesota, but have won the last 10 against the Wolves in Boston.

The Celtics are 16-14 on the road and 7-3 in their last 10 games while the Timberwolves are 9-20 at home and 3-7 in their last 10.  The Celtics are playing in yet another back to back set.  At one time this would have meant an expected loss but this team has made it a point to win back to back games.  They are 10-3 in the second of back to back games and 3-0 when the games are road/road. 
 
The Celtics are still 3rd in the East and are now 1 game ahead of Miami, who are playing Indiana at home on Monday.  They are also 2 games ahead of Indiana (5th) and Atlanta (6th) and 4.5 games behind Toronto who are in the 2nd spot. Atlanta is hosting the Warriors.  Minnesota is 13th in the West and at this point are playing for ping pong balls. 

Kelly Olynyk remains out with a sprained shoulder.  Avery Bradley is still dealing with a sore and swollen knee but he played well against the Nuggets and is probable for this game unless he aggravated it in Sunday's game.  Marcus Smart is playing through a thumb injury and is also considered probable for this game. 

Kevin Garnett has missed the last 11 games for Minnesota and is doubtful for this game.  He also missed the first game between these two teams.  Nemanja Bjelica (foot) has missed the last 2 games and is doubtful for this game.  Nikola Pekovic (foot) has missed the last 7 games and is also listed as doubtful against the Celtics.  Kevin Martin returned on Friday after missing 9 games and is probable for this game.

Key Matchups
vs
Jae Crowder vs Andrew Wiggins
Andrew Wiggins is playing very well and averaging 20.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists.  Jae needs to stay with Wiggins and keep him from having a big night.  He scored 26 points against the Celtics in their first game this season. 

  vs 
Jared Sullinger vs Karl Anthony Towns 
Towns has been taken under KG's wing and could be this season's Rookie of the Year.  He is averaging 17.0 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks.   Sully will have his hands full trying to slow down the Wolves 7' center who is versatile enough to beat out Isaiah Thomas in the Skills Challenge. 

Honorable Mention
Avery Bradley vs Zach LaVine
LaVine is fresh off his latest win in the slam dunk contest.  Avery needs to keep him from getting into the paint because he is very good at finishing when he does.  He is averaging 13.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists.  LaVine's athleticism will be a challenge for Avery on defense, especially since he isn't 100% with the sore knee. 

Keys to the Game
Defense - The Celtics must defend. The offense feeds off of the defense and if the Celtics can't get stops they struggle on the other end as well.  Their identity this season has been their tough and gritty defense, but they have let it slip over the 5 games prior to their win in Denver.   They need to focus on defense once again.  Defense wins games!!

Rebound - The Celtics must get rebounds to prevent second chance points and fast breaks for the Wolves. Rebounding takes effort and desire and the Celtics have got to show both and crash the boards as a team.  When they put out the effort on the boards, it also translates to the other parts of their game. 

Be Aggressive - The Celtics have to be aggressive in going after loose balls and rebounds and in taking the ball to the basket. They also have to be aggressive on defense. When they are aggressive in going to the hoop good things happen. The Celtics have to play like they are the team that wants it more.

Set the Pace- The Celtics must run from the beginning of the game until the final buzzer. Running will allow them to get easy baskets as they get down the court before the defenses set up.  They have to run and they have to move the ball.   When they slow it down, more times than not, they struggle. 

Play As a Team - The Celtics have been successful when they move the ball and play unselfishly, making the extra pass to get the best shot.   When they have fewer than 20 assists, they usually end up with a loss.  They need play as a team and move the ball and find the open man.  They also have to play as a team on defense and play swarming team defense. 

X-Factors
Back to Back Factor - The Celtics are playing in back to back games and recently that means that they will play hard and have a good chance of getting a win.  However, it also may mean that they could be fatigued down the stretch. 

Officiating -  Officiating is always an x-factor. Will they let them play or will they call every ticky tack foul?  It's usually to the Celtics' benefit if they let both teams play.  Will they call it fair or will they favor one team over the other? One never knows what any given crew will do.  The Celtics need to play through any bad calls as they did against the Nuggets.

[Snakehead]

Hoping for good effort and lack of fatigue after that back to back.  Tough coming off a Denver game.

[max215]

Let's start a streak!

[FLCeltsFan]

TP Snakehead for being the first to post in the game thread. 

Gooo Celtics!!!   

[KeepRondo]

TP FLCelts.

Lets go Wolves.

[SHAQATTACK]

KG 

[slamtheking]

excellent game thread as always FL -- TP

[Denis998]

Should be a great game, Sota got something brewing down there

[greece66]

win win situation

if wolves win, helps brooklyn secure 4th place

[max215]

I know this is sort of sacrilegious, but it would be really good for the long term fortunes of this franchise to lose this game.

[SHAQATTACK]

If Smart , AB and KO all were to miss this game. ......losing is a real possibility .

ET would have to play the game of his life.

Townes will have 40 and 20 ......but they still loose the game I predict

[celticsclay]

I know this is sort of sacrilegious, but it would be really good for the long term fortunes of this franchise to lose this game.

It did cross my mind, but I definitely still want a win very badly to build some momentum. A loss in this game could really get us started off on a slump with all our injuries. The only time I could really be rooting for a loss was if it was the last week of season and our seeding was clinched and Brooklyns draft slot was not.

[saltlover]

I know this is sort of sacrilegious, but it would be really good for the long term fortunes of this franchise to lose this game.

No it wouldn't.  Minny is 9 games out of giving us their draft pick, and who cares if their 2nd is 35 or 36?  They're still a couple games clea of the Nets, so I'm not worried about them falling into that position.  Much better to win.

[max215]

I know this is sort of sacrilegious, but it would be really good for the long term fortunes of this franchise to lose this game.

It did cross my mind, but I definitely still want a win very badly to build some momentum. A loss in this game could really get us started off on a slump with all our injuries. The only time I could really be rooting for a loss was if it was the last week of season and our seeding was clinched and Brooklyns draft slot was not.

I want us to win, but I wouldn't be too upset with a loss.

[max215]

I know this is sort of sacrilegious, but it would be really good for the long term fortunes of this franchise to lose this game.

No it wouldn't.  Minny is 9 games out of giving us their draft pick, and who cares if their 2nd is 35 or 36?  They're still a couple games clea of the Nets, so I'm not worried about them falling into that position.  Much better to win.

I couldn't care less about the Wolves Pick conveying as a first, but they're only two games ahead of the Nets. That's okay, but it's certainly not great. A win for them would be huge.