The Celtics continue their road trip as they take on the Suns in Phoenix. This is the 3rd game of the 5 game road trip. The Celtics are 0-2 so far on the trip. This is the first of 2 games between these two teams with the second game in Boston on March 14. The Suns and Celtics split the series 1-1 last season with each team winning on their home court. The Celtics are 75-60 overall all time and 31-36 in games played in Phoenix.
The Celtics are 1st in the East, 7.5 games ahead of 2nd place Milwaukee, 8 games ahead of 3rd place Cleveland, 11.5 games ahead of 4th place Orlando, 12 games ahead of 5th place New York, and 13 games ahead of 6th place Miami. They are 19-11 on the road and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are 15-7 against Western Conference teams and have lost their last 2 games.
The Suns are 6th in the West, 7 games behind 1st place Minnesota, 4 games behind the 4th place Clippers and half a game behind 5th place New Orleans. They are half a game ahead of 7th place Sacramento and 2 games ahead of 8th place Dallas. They are 21-13 at home and 6-4 in their last 10 games. They are 15-7 against Eastern Conference teams. They have won their last 2 games.
The Celtics started their current road trip off with 2 straight losses against Cleveland and Denver. After this game they will finish the road trip in Portland and Utah. They will return home to face these same Suns before a game in Washington. They then have home games against Detroit and Milwaukee before a 6 game road trip through Detroit, Chicago, 2 games in Atlanta, New Orleans and Charlotte.
The Suns are playing in the second straight home game. They are coming off a home win over Toronto. After this game they will start a 4 game road trip through Cleveland, Boston, Charlotte and Milwaukee. They will return home against Philadelphia and Atlanta before going on a 5 game road trip starting with 2 games in San Antonio and then Denver, Oklahoma City and New Orleans.
Jaylen Brown was questionable going into Thursday’s game against Denver but ended up playing 41 minutes and scored 41 points. He was once again listed as questionable for this game with a a mild contusion to his pelvis. Jayson Tatum was added to the list as probable with an ankle sprain. He struggled against Denver and you would have to wonder if the injury had something to do with that. Both are now available for this game.
Porzingis is now listed as questionable for Saturday’s game versus the Suns due to right hamstring tightness. Porzingis’ late addition to the injury report is not a good sign for his availability for this game. If he is ruled out, Al Horford will likely start in his place. He is listed as a game time decision. Neemias Queta was listed as probable but now is also off the list and will be available. I am not sure if he will be with the Celtics or the Maine Celtics.
For the Suns, Devin Booker has missed the last 3 games with an ankle sprain. He was originally questionable for this game then downgraded to doubtful and is now once again questionable and will be a game time decision. Damion Lee is out with a knee injury. Nassir Little is also out with a knee injury. Josh Okogie was originally questionable for this game but is now listed as out with an abdomen strain.
Probable Celtics Starters
Celtics Reserves
Oshae Brissett
Sam Hauser
Al Horford
Luke Kornet
Svi Mykhailiuk
Payton Pritchard
Jordan Walsh
Xavier Tillman
Jaden Springer
2 Way Players
JD Davison
Neemias Queta
Drew Peterson
Injuries/Out
Neemias Queta (knee) out
Jaylen Brown (pelvis) questionable
Jayson Tatum (ankle) probable
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Probable Suns Starters
Suns Reserves
Bol Bol
Drew Eubanks
Eric Gordon
David Roddy
Thaddeus Young
Two Way Players
Udoka Azubuike
Saben Lee
Ish Wainright
Injuries/Out
Devin Booker (ankle) questionable
Damion Lee (knee) out Nassir Little (knee) out
Josh Okogie (abdomen) out
Head Coach
Frank Vogel
Key Matchups
Jayson Tatum vs Kevin Durant
Durant remains one of the best players in the league and is tough to cover and also is still a good defender. He is averaging 28.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.3 blocks. He is shooting 52.5% from the field and 41.9% from beyond the arc. He is dangerous to score no matter where he is on the court and so the Celtics need to defend him well.
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Jrue Holiday
Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images
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Bradley Beal
Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images
Jrue Holiday vs Bradley Beal
Beal has played in just 34 of the Suns games so far this season due to an assortment of injuries. He is averaging 18.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. He is shooting 49.6% from the field and 37.3% from beyond the arc. Beal and Tatum go way back as frields and in past games, when Beal was in Washington, Tatum and Beal would make it personal and attempt to guard each other. That strategy usually went better for Tatum than Beal.
Honorable Mention
Kristaps Porzingis vs Jusuf Nurkic
Nurkic is averaging 11.7 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. He is shooting 51.7% from the field and 24.1% from beyond the arc. He is not a big threat from 3 but can hit them so he shouldn’t be left open. But, the Celtics especially need to keep him out of the paint and off the boards.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is always a key to winning. The Celtics have a defensive rating of 110.3 (2nd) but at times let their defense slip, like when Dean Wade scored 20 on them in the 4th quarter in the Cleveland game. The Suns have a defensive rating of 114.1 (12th). The Suns are a good shooting team and the Celtics will need to up their defense if they want to beat the Suns at home. The Suns are 12th, scoring 117.1 points per game and so the Celtics must make defense a priority if they want to win.
Rebound – The Celtics need to rebound on the offensive end to give themselves extra possessions and to prevent the Suns from racking up fast break points. They also have to crash the boards on the defensive end to prevent the Suns from getting tip ins and second chance points. The Celtics are 1st with 47.2 rebounds per game while the Suns are 12th with 44.1 rebounds per game. The Celtics are going to have to put out extra effort to win the battle of the boards in this one.
Stay Focused – A lack of focus could explain the 9 missed free throws against the Nuggets. It can also explain the 28.9% shooting from beyond the arc. The Celtics have come into the game focused on taking and making good shots. They need to focus on their ball handling to avoid turnovers. They need to focus on defense to prevent the Suns from getting open shots. They need to come into the game focused on playing the right way and keep that focus right up to the final buzzer.
Be Aggressive – The Celtics have to come out and be aggressive right from the opening tip. They have to be aggressive on defense, driving to the basket, rebounding, diving for loose balls and just playing harder in general. They need to get off to a strong start and play hard right up until the final buzzer. They can’t let the Suns outwork them for any period of time because even the best team in the league can lose to the worst if they don’t play with effort.
X-Factors
Road Fatigue – The Celtics are playing in the third game of a 5 game road trip. They have had a lot of travel and had to sleep in hotels and play in hostile arenas. They may be gettng somewhat road weary. They have also changed time zones and may have a bit of jet lag. Can they find another gear and get a win in a game against another tough team?
Injuries – Jaylen Brown is once again questionable and Jayson Tatum is probable. If either of them can’t play, or if they play but are limited due to an injury, it will definitely be more difficult for the Celtics. Also, with Devin Booker questionable and possibly returning from injury, it would make the Suns much tougher to beat as he is averaging 27.5 points 4.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game.
Officiating – I know that I say this every game, but the officiating always has the possibility to be an x-factor in every game. 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. Some refs favor the home team and some call for both teams evenly. The Celtics have got to adjust to the way the game is being called and not allow the officiating to take away from their focus.
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