The Celtics face another rematch from the playoffs, this time their Finals opponent, the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors participated in the California Classic where they went 0-3 but gained some chemistry there. They lost to Sacramento, Miami and the Lakers but were playing without James Wiseman.
The Warriors lost their first game in Las Vegas 101-88 vs the Knicks. They didn’t play James Wiseman in that game. They won their second game 86-85 over the San Antonio Spurs. The Celtics lost their first game in Las Vegas 88-78 to the Miami Heat.
The Warriors have averaged 87 points, 38.5 rebounds, 13.5 assists and 19.5 turnovers per game in their two games so far in Las Vegas. They shot 43.6% from the field and just 19.5% from beyond the arc in those two games. Both of these teams lost their first game in Las Vegas and then won a close one in their second game.
As with every Summer League game, it’s difficult to predict a starting lineup as coaches are looking to try different lineups and combination of players and they want to get an idea of what each player brings to the table. I’ve listed the starters from their previous games but there is a good chance that the coaches choose to use different starters for this game.
Celtics Roster
JD Davison 20
Juhann Begarin 45
Trevion Williams 50
Jordan Bone 51
Mfiondu Kabengele 28
AJ Reeves 41
Brodric Thomas 97
Matt Ryan 37
Sam Hauser 30
Jericole Hellems 29
Bryton Hobbs 55
Aubrey Dawkins 38
Robert Franks 43
Justin Jackson 52
Previous Game Starters
JD Davison
Brodric Thomas
Juhann Begarin
Sam Hauser
Mfiondu Kabengele
Head Coach
Ben Sullivan
Players to Watch
Mfiondu Kabengele
Kabengele started at center in Saturday’s game and had a solid showing with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists. He started Monday’s game and finished with 15 points 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks. He shot 62.5% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. He is making a good case for a roster spot.
Sam Hauser
Hauser is still the only player on this team that has a roster spot for next season. He hasn’t had a great start in the first two games, however. He finished with 7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in Game 1 against the Heat and followed that with 12 points and 1 assist against the Bucks. He shot 44.4% from the field and 42.9% from beyond the arc against the Bucks.
Juhann Begarin
Begarin finished Monday’s game against the Bucks with 13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. He also turned the ball over 7 times. He shot 45.5% from the field but just 25% from beyond the arc.
Honorable Mention
Matt Ryan
Ryan has played well in both games so far. He finished Monday’s game against the Bucks with 23 poi8nts, 2 rebounds,1 assist and 2 steals. He shot 54.5% from the field and 58.3% from beyond the arc, including a game winning 3. He fell to the court in pain after hitting the shot, however and he may miss this game due to that injury. His performance in that game should be noted, however.
Warriors Roster
Johathan Kuminga 0
Ryan Rollins 2
Moses Moody 4
Patrick Baldwin, Jr 7
Justinian Jessup 10
Quinndary Weatherspoon 12
Gui Santos 15
Yudai Baba 18
Jarrod Uthoff 20
Selom Mawugbe 21
Lester Quinones 25
Alex Morales 26
Payton Willis 27
Kalob Ledoux 28
Gabriel Cachashvili 31
James Wiseman 33
JD Notae 41
Joel Ntambwe 43
Dustin Sleva 45
Mac McClung 55
Previous Game Starters
Mac McClung
Lester Quinones
Quinndary Weatherspoon
Jonathan Kuminga
James Wiseman
Head Coach
Jama Mahlalela
Players to Watch
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Moses Moody
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
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Jonathan Kuminga
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
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James Wiseman
Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
Moses Moody
Moody played in the Warriors’ first game in Las Vegas, a loss to the Knicks, and finished with 34 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks. He shot 61.5% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. He did not play in the Warriors second game, a win over the Spurs. I expect that he will play in this game and likely start.
Jonathan Kuminga
Kuminga played in both of the Warriors games so far, averaging 16.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steals. He shot 37.5% from the field but just 9.1% from beyond the arc. He will likely start in this game also.
James Wiseman
Wiseman was the second overall pick in the 2020 draft but missed all of last season with a torn meniscus. He did not play in the Warriors first Las Vegas game but did play in their second game. He finished with 11 points, 2 rebounds and 2 blocks. He shot 71% from the field and hit his only 3 point shot. The Warriors are expecting a lot from Wiseman next season and were pleased with his first game back.
Keys to the Game
Shooting – The Celtics will be looking for players who can shoot from the outside and also who can finish at the basket. Sam Hauser is a very good shooter, but hasn’t played well so far in the Summer League games. The Celtics shot 47.3% from the field and 41.3% from beyond the arc against the Bucks and hopefully will shoot well again in this game.
Defense – The Celtics put a premium on playing defense and they will be looking to see which Summer Celtics fit that mold. Defense is always a key to winning, whether in the Summer League, in the regular season, or in the playoffs. The Summer Celtics need to step up on the defensive end and slow down the Warriors scorers.
Take Care of the Ball – The Celtics turned the ball over 20 times in their loss to the Heat and cut their turnovers down to 17 against the Bucks. The Warriors averaged 19.5 turnovers in their first two games. Turnovers can be expected from teams that have only been together a short time but cleaning these up can go a long way toward getting a win.
X-Factors
It’s Summer League – Both of these teams have been pretty much cobbled together from undrafted players, end of bench players, and G-League players. The Warriors have 3 players who they expect to be in the rotation next season in Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and James Wiseman. Each of these players is trying to make an impression on the coaches and GM’s that are watching and so we may see a lot of hero ball. Watching for individual improvement in players is probably the best way to watch these games.
Back to Back Games – The Celtics are playing back to back after facing the Bucks on Monday night. We will likely see more players get minutes and players like Kabengele, Begarin, and Davison who have played more minutes in the first two games may get a bit more rest.
