The Celtics begin a home and home series with a game at the Barclays Center against the Brooklyn Nets. This is the 3rd of 4 games between these two teams this season. The Celtics won the first game 124-114 in Brooklyn on 11/4 and they won the second game 121-107 in Boston on 11/10. They will meet again in Boston on Wednesday night to complete the home and home set.
Last season, the Celtics won the series 3-1. They won 1 game in Boston and two games in Brooklyn but lost the final game of the series in Boston. The Celtics are 139-74 overall all time against the Nets. They are 65-40 in games that were played on the road. Both teams are playing in the first of back to back games. Brooklyn is 4-3 on the first night of back to back games and Boston is 8-1 on the first night of back to back games.
The Celtics are first in the East, 5.5 games ahead of 2nd place Cleveland, 6.5 games ahead of 3rd place Milwaukee, 8.5 games ahead of 4th place New York, 9 games ahead of 5th place Philadelphia, and 12 games ahead of 6th place Indiana. They are 16-9 on the road and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are 28-6 against Eastern Conference teams and 11-1 against Atlantic Division teams. They have won their last 4 games.
The Nets are 11th in the East, just outside of play-in contention. They are 19.5 games behind first place Boston. They are 7.5 games behind 6th place Orlando and the final guaranteed playoff spot. They are 2 games behind 10th place Atlanta, and the final play-in spot. They are 3 games ahead of 12th place Toronto. They are 13-16 at home and 4-6 in their last 10 games. They are 14-15 against Eastern Conference teams and 2-5 against Atlantic Division rivals. They are coming off a win in their last game.
The Celtics are playing two games back to back against the Nets to close out the games before the All Star break – this one in Brooklyn and one in Boston on Wednesday. After the break, they will play at Chicago and then at New York before hosting Philadelphia, Dallas, and Golden state. Following the 3 home games, they will head out west for a 5 game road trip.
The Nets are playing in the final game of a 5 game home stand. They lost the first 3 to Golden State, Dallas, and Cleveland before winning the 4th one against San Antonio. They will play Boston for the second straight night on Wednesday in Boston to close out the games before the All Star break. After the break they will complete their road trip at Toronto, Minnesota, Memphis and Orlando.
Xavier Tillman remains out for the Celtics with knee soreness. Jaden Springer remains out with a right ankle impingement. I would imagine they will make their debut for the Celtics after the All Star break. Kristaps Porzingis is listed as questionable due to a lower back contusion. Since the Celtics are playing back to back, I’m guessing that KP will rest his back in this one and Al Horford will start in his place. Al will likely rest on Wednesday and KP will return. For the Nets, Cam Johnson is out with a thigh injury and Dariq Whitehead is out with a leg injury.
Probable Celtics Starters
Celtics Reserves
Oshae Brissett
Sam Hauser
Luke Kornet
Svi Mykhailiuk
Payton Pritchard
Jordan Walsh
2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Neemias Queta
Injuries/Out
Xavier Tillman (knee) out
Jaden Springer (ankle) out
Kristaps Porzingis (back) questionable
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Probable Nets Starters
Nets Reserves
Keita Bates-Diop
Noah Clowney
Dennis Schroder
Day’Ron Sharpe
Dennis Smith, Jr
Lonnie Walker IV
Trendon Watford
Jalen Wilson
Two Way Players
Keon Johnson
Jalen Wilson
Injuries/Out
Cam Johnson (thigh) out
Dariq Whitehead (leg) out
Head Coach
Jacque Vaughn
Key Matchups
Jaylen Brown vs Mikal Bridges
Bridges is averaging 21.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. He is shooting 45.3% from the field and 37.2% from beyond the arc. In 2 games against the Celtics this season, he averaged 15.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. He shot 35.5% from the field and 29.4% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to defend him well and limit him again in this game.
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Derrick White
Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images
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Cam Thomas
Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
Derrick White vs Cam Thomas
Thomas is averaging 21.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. He is shooting 44.1% from the field and 36.1% from beyond the arc. In one game against the Celtics this season, he finished with 27 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. He shot 45.5% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to defend him and keep him from having another big game.
Honorable Mention
Al Horford va Nic Claxton
Claxton is averaging 12.4 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 2.3 blocks per game. He is shooting 62.5% from the field and 25% from beyond the arc. This is his first game against the Celtics this season. With Kristaps Porzingis likely out, it will be up to Al to keep him out of the paint and off the board.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is always a key to winning. The Celtics are 3rd in the league with a defensive rating of 110.8. The Nets are 7th in the league with a defensive rating of 116.2. The Nets are averaging 113.9 points per game (20th). The Celtics are 5th in the league averaging 120.4 points per game. The Celtics have to especially guard the perimeter as the Nets are 8th with 37.8 3 pointers attempted per game. The Celtics need to get a strong defensive effort from every player on the court and they need to make defense a priority throughout the game.
Rebound – The Celtics must box out and crash the boards. They can’t score without the ball and it will take extra effort on their part beat the Nets on the boards. The Nets are 7th with 44.8 rebounds per game. The Celtics are 1st with 47.4 rebounds per game. The Celtics have to put out more effort to get to the rebounds before the Nets and give themselves extra possessions and prevent the Nets from getting the same.
Every Game Counts – The Celtics tended to play down to competition and let up against the bottom teams and teams that are short handed. The Celtics have to take every game seriously and not underestimate any opponent. The Nets may have a 21-31 record, but they still have plenty of talent on the team to beat the Celtics if they come into the game expecting to win without giving their best effort. The Celtics need to develop a killer instinct against every team and not take any team for granted.
Play Hard 48 Minutes – The Celtics often start out slow and then have to dig out of a hole or they get off to a big lead and then take their foot off the gas and allow teams to come back. The Celtics have to start out strong and play hard for 48 minutes, right up until the final buzzer. The Celtics can’t let the Nets build a lead and they can’t let up if they can build a lead against them. They have to especially play hard in the 3rd quarter, because too often they have let up in that quarter and allowed teams to outplay them.
X-Factors
Road Game – The Celtics are playing on the road and had to travel for the game. They will be playing in front of a hostile crowd and have the distractions of playing on the road. The Celtics need to focus on the game and not on the distractions of travel and playing in an unfamiliar arena.
Officiating – The officiating is always an x-factor. Sometimes a crew will call the game tight and blow a whistle on every play. Other times they will let them play and let the game get physical. The Celtics need to adjust to the way the game is called and not let missed calls or bad calls affect their focus. If the calls are bad, they just need to play harder to make up for them and not waste time arguing with the officials.
