The Celtics first three games were against teams that they faced in the playoffs this year. This game is against a Western Conference team that they faced just twice in the regular season. Both of these teams have a 2-1 record in Las Vegas Summer League. The Grizzlies played 3 games in the Utah Summer League and went 2-1 there.
Both teams lost their first game in Las Vegas and won their last two games. The Grizzlies lost to the Clippers and beat the Timberwolves and the Nets. The Celtics lost to the Heat and beat the Warriors and the Bucks. Both are looking to win their third straight game.
The Grizzlies are averaging 88.7 points, 39.3 rebounds, 20.3 assists and 16.0 turnovers. They are shooting 46.9% from the field and 27.0% from beyond the arc. The Celtics are averaging 97.3 points, 36.7 rebounds, 22 assists, and 17.7 turnovers. They are shooting 43% from the field and 38.7% from beyond the arc.
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 each team’s previous game 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
Juhann Begarin
Brodric Thomas
Justin Jackson
Mfiondu Kabengele
Head Coach
Ben Sullivan
Players to Watch
Mfiondu Kabengele
Kabengele has started all 3 games so far and has made a good case for a spot on the roster this season. He is averaging 16.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. He is coming off a game on Tuesday where he put up 20 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks. He is shooting 61.5% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc.
Juhann Begarin
Begarin is averaging 15.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He is shooting 35% from the field and 27.3% from beyond the arc. He is coming off a game on Tuesday where he finished with 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists while shooting 36.8% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc.
Justin Jackson
Jackson has been in the league since 2017 and has bounced around to 5 NBA teams and 2 G League teams. He is averaging 24.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game while shooting 64.3% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc.
Honorable Mention
Mike Ryan
Ryan injured his ankle when he hit the game winner on Monday and did not play on Tuesday. He is averaging 19.0 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. He is shooting 53% from the field and 52.6% from beyond the arc. He may or may not be able to play in this game but he deserves a mention here.
Grizzlies Roster
Kennedy Chandler 0
Romeo Weems 1
Xavier Tillman, Sr. 2
Jake LaRavia 3
Vince Williams, Jr 5
Kenneth Lofton, Jr 6
Santi Aldama 7
Ziaire Williams 8
Ronaldo Segu 9
Shaq Buchanan 11
EJ Onu 13
Keve Aluma 22
David Roddy 27
Dakota Mathias 31
Tremont Waters 51
Starters Last Game
Ziaire Williams
Jake LaRavia
David Roddy
Xavier Tillman
Santi Aldama
Head Coach
David McClure
Players to Watch
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Santi Aldama
Photo by Jeff Bottari/NBAE via Getty Images
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Ziaire Williams
Photo by Jeff Bottari/NBAE via Getty Images
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Tremont Waters
Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images
Santi Aldama
Aldama has started all 3 games for the Grizzlies and is averaging 19.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.7 blocks. He is shooting 58.1% from the field and 36.4% from beyond the arc. He is coming off a game where he finished with 31 points and 9 rebounds. The matchup between Aldama and Kabengele should be fun to watch.
Zaire Williams
Williams started 31 games for the Grizzlies last season and also played 168 minutes in the playoffs with them. He played in 2 of the Grizzlies 3 games and averaged 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game.
Tremont Waters
Former Celtic Tremont Waters played in just one of the 3 games for the Grizzlies but he played well in that game. He finished with 16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals while shooting 50% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc. Former Celtics always seem to play well against the Celtics and I imagine that Waters will do the same.
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. The Celtics shot 47.3% from the field and 41.3% from beyond the arc against the Bucks and 45.1% from the field and 43.3% from beyond the arc against the Warriors. 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 Grizzlies 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 and down further to 15 against the Warriors. 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.
Rebound – Rebounding gives teams extra possessions and thus extra chances to score. The Celtics need to crash the boards and beat the Grizzlies to rebounds in order to give themselves extra chances to score and also to prevent the Grizzlies from getting fast breaks and extra possessions themselves.
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. 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. The Celtics have a few players who could earn a spot in Maine or on the roster.
