The Celtics host the Raptors for the second of 4 regular season games. The Celtics won the first game 126-123 in overtime on November 16 in Boston. They will meet again in Toronto on January 15 and February 25. They played twice in Boston in the preseason with the Celtics winning the first game 115-111 and The Raptors winning the second game 119-118. The Celtics are 71-42 overall all time against the Raptors and they are 43-14 in games played in Boston.
The Celtics won the series 4-0 last season. Toronto hasn’t won in Boston since October 22, 2021. The Raptors changed their roster this off season with free agent signings, trades and the draft. They signed Immanuel Quickley, Garrett Temple, Bruno Fernando, and Jamison Battle as free agents. They traded Jalen McDaniels for Davion Mitchell. They drafted Ulrich Chomche (57), Jamal Sheed (45), Jonathan Mogbo (31) and Ja’Kobe Walter (19). They lost Jordan Nwora, Gary Trent, Jr, and Malik Williams to free agency.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 5 games behind the first place Cleveland Cavaliers, who have won their last 7 games. They are just half a game ahead of the 3rd place Knicks, who have won 8 straight games. The Celtics are 12-6 at home, already losing 2 more games at home than they did all last season. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games. They are 21-7 against Eastern Conference teams and are coming off a loss in their last game.
The Raptors are 14th in the East, 20.5 games behind first place Cleveland. They are 10 games behind 6th place Milwaukee, 7 games behind 10th place Detroit and half a game ahead of 15th place Washington. They are 1-14 on the road and 0-10 in their last 10 games. They are 4-14 against Eastern Conference opponents and they have lost their last 10 games.
The Christmas Day loss to the 76ers was the first game of a 4 game home stand. They won 1 game against the Pacers and lost a second game against the Pacers as the home stand continued. This is the 4th and final game of the home stand. They will then head out on a 4 game Western road trip through Minnesota, Houston (and Ime Udoka), Oklahoma City and Denver that will start on January 2. They will return home to face 2 more Western teams, Sacramento and New Orleans. They then head to Toronto to face these same Raptors for the 3rd time..
This is the first of back to back games for the Raptors as they will play at home against the Brooklyn Nets on New Year’s Day. They will then face Orlando and Milwaukee at home before heading out on the road to play at New York, Cleveland, and Detroit. Then it’s back home to face Golden State and then Boston for their 3rd meeting on January 15. Then it’s at Milwaukee and home against Orlando and 2 games in a row at Atlanta.
Jrue Holiday Holiday has missed the last three games for the Celtics with a right shoulder impingement and is questionable for this game. There were reports that he was going to try to give it a go on Sunday but he didn’t play. Once again, I’m guessing that Holiday will be back for this game but if he isn’t able to play, Sam Hauser may once again start and Derrick White will move to the point. Kristaps Porzingis also missed his second straight contest Sunday due to a left ankle sprain and is questionable for this game. I’m guessing they hold him out another game. If he is unable to play, Al Horford will likely start in his place.
For the Raptors, RJ Barrett is out with an illness. Bruce Brown will likely get the start in his place. Immanuel Quickley suffered a partial UCL tear in his left elbow in mid-November and will also be out in this game. Fernando hasn’t suited up since Dec. 12 due to a toe injury and is questionable for this game. Davion Mitchell is questionable due to an illness. Gradey Dick is questionable due to hamstring tightness. If he is out, Ja’Kobe Walker may get the start.
Probable Celtics Starters
Celtics Reserves
Luke Kornet
Payton Pritchard
Neemias Queta
Baylor Scheierman
Jaden Springer
Jordan Walsh
Xavier Tillman
Sam Hauser
2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Anton Watson
Injuries/Out
Jrue Holiday (shoulder) questionable
Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) questionable
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Probable Raptors Starters
Raptors Reserves
Chris Boucher
AJ Lawson
Jonathan Mogbo
Kelly Olynyk
Jamal Shead
Garrett Temple
Ja’Kobe Walker
2 Way Players
Ulrich Chomche
Jamison Battle
Injuries/Out
Immanuel Quickley (elbow) out
RJ Barrett (illness) out
Bruno Fernando (toe) questionable
Immanuel Quickley (elbow) questionable
Gradey Dick (hamstring) questionable
Head Coach
Darko Rajakovic
Key Matchups
Jrue Holiday vs Scottie Barnes
Barnes is averaging 19.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 7.1 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He is shooting 45.5% from the field and 28% from beyond the arc. He missed the first game against the Celtics in November and so this is the first time the Celtics will face him this season. Jrue is questionable at this time and if he can’t go, it will be Derrick White matched up against Barnes at the point.
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Al Horford
Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
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Jakob Poeltl
Photo by Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images
Al Horford vs Jakob Poeltl
Poeltl is averaging 15.4 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1 steal and 1.3 blocks per game. He is shooting 59% from the field but 0% on threes. In the first game against the Celtics, Poeltl finished with 35 points, 12 rebounds, and 1 steal. He shot 84.2% from the field with no threes. The Celtics need to defend Poeltl much better in this game and they need to keep him out of the paint.
Honorable Mention
Derrick White vs Gradey Dick
Dick is averaging 17.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He is shooting 41.6% from the field and 34.8% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 9 points, 2 rebounds, and 5 assists. He shot just 25% from the field and 20% from beyond the arc. Depending on injuries, this may be Jaylen Brown vs Ja’Kobe Walker.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense will always be the key to winning. If the Celtics hope to win the championship again this season, it will have to be with defense first. The Celtics are capable of locking down teams with suffocating defense, but they have to put the effort into it. So far this season, they have put that kind of effort out at times and at other times have slacked off. They were 1st in the regular season and 1st in the playoffs on defense last season. The Celtics are 8th currently with a defensive rating of 110.1. The Raptors are 26th with a defensive rating of 116.5. The Celtics need to put out maximum effort on defense whether they are facing the top team or the bottom team. The Celtics allowed the Pacers to shoot 52.9% from the field and 39.1% from beyond the arc. They have to tighten up their defense if they want to win.
Rebound – Rebounding is second only to defense as a key to winning. The Raptors are 8th with 45.0 rebounds per game while the Celtics are 6th with 45.4 rebounds per game. Last season, the Celtics were 2nd pulling down 46.3 rebounds per game. Rebounding is very important to limit second chance baskets and fast breaks. The Raptors are 4th with 16.1 second chance points per game. Much of rebounding is effort and hustle. The Celtics must put out more effort to beat the Raptors to rebounds.
Don’t Underestimate – Several of the Celtics losses this season have come at the hands of teams they should have beat but didn’t because they failed to give the effort needed to get the win. The first game against the Raptors this season went to overtime when it should have been a blow out. The Celtics have to come into this game ready to give maximum effort and to play the Raptors like they are the top team in the league. They can’t underestimate them because of their record or their injuries. If they do, they could end up with another lost game that they should have won.
Maximum Effort for 48 Minutes – The Celtics effort in their 3 recent losses was good at times and not so good at other times. The Celtics need to play harder and give more effort than the Raptors. The Celtics have to give maximum effort on the boards and on defense and in diving for loose balls and forcing turnovers, and they have to give that effort for the entire game and not just 1 or 2 quarters.
X-Factors
Home Game – The Celtics are at home and they should get a boost from the fans while the Raptors are on the road and will be playing in front of a hostile crowd. The Raptors will have the distractions of travel and staying in hotels and playing in an unfamiliar arena. The Celtics lost 4 home games all last season and they have already lost 6 home games this season. They need to buckle down and defend their home court.
Officiating – I know that I say this every game, but the officiating can always be an x-factor. Every crew calls the game differently whether they call every little ticky tack foul or they let a lot of contact go and let the teams play. Sometimes they just make bad, head scratching calls. The Celtics have got to adjust to the way the game is being called and not let the calls affect their focus or their play.
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