The Celtics go from a team fighting for playoff position to a team fighting for lottery position as they host the Portland Trailblazers. This is the second and final game between these two teams this season. The Celtics won the first game 121-99 in Portland on March 11. The Celtics won the series 2-0 last season. They are 74-49 overall all time against Portland and they are 39-22 in games played in Boston.
The Celtics remain in first place in the East and first place overall in the league. They are an incredible 14 games ahead of 2nd place Milwaukee, 15.5 games ahead of 3rd place Cleveland, 16 games ahead of both 4th place Orlando and 5th place New York, and 17.5 games ahead of 6th place Indiana. They are 34-3 at home and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are 22-7 against Western Conference teams. They have won their last 4 games.
The Trail Blazers are 14th in the West, 2 games ahead of 15th place San Antonio. They are 6 games behind 13th place Memphis and 21 games behind the Golden State Warriors, who are in the final play-in spot. They are 10-29 on the road and 2-8 in their last 10 games. They are 13-16 against Eastern Conference opponents and they have won their last 2 games, after losing the previous 10.
The Celtics are playing in the last game of a 3 game home stand after a 6 game road trip. They went 4-2 on the trip, beating Detroit, Chicago, New Orleans and Charlotte and losing 2 games to Atlanta. They beat the Thunder 135-100 in the first game back at home and edged out the Kings 101-100, with the reserves playing the entire 4th quarter against the Kings starters. Next, they have one game on the road in Milwaukee before finishing the season at home against New York, Charlotte and Washington.
The Portland Trail Blazers are playing in the final game of a 7 game road trip. They lost the first 4 games of the road trip, losing to Houston, Atlanta, Miami and Orlando before getting out-tanked in the last two games by Charlotte and Washington. After this game, they will play at home against New Orleans, Golden State, and Houston before finishing the season on the road against the Kings.
Derrick White missed Friday’s game against Sacramento but is not on the injury list at this time. Jaylen Brown remains on the list as questionable with a left hand sprain. He has missed 2 of the Celtics last 3 games. Jayson Tatum was added to the injury report as questionable with a right knee contusion. He has not missed a game since since March 22. Jaden Springer has missed has missed five games with a knee injury and is also questionable.
All 3 are listed as a game time decision. I’m expecting Jaylen to return and Jayson to sit this game as the Celtics try to manage health and conditioning. If Jayson sits, Al Horford should get the start. If Jaylen sits, Sam Hauser will likely get the start once again. But then again, who knows at this time of the season. There may also be other late additions to the list with various bumps and bruises.
For Portland, former Celtic Malcolm Brogdon will miss his 29th game with with right elbow tendinitis. Toumani Camara is out with a rib injury. Shaedon Sharpe hasn’t played since Jan. 11 after having abdominal surgery and is out for this game. Anfernee Simons will miss his eighth game with a knee injury. Matisse Thybulle will miss his 4th game with an ankle injury. Former Celtic Robert Williams is out for the season with a torn ligament in his right kne.e. Jerami Grant is doubtful with a hamstring injury.
Probable Celtics Starters
Celtics Reserves
Oshae Brissett
Svi Mykhailiuk
Luke Kornet
Payton Pritchard
Jordan Walsh
Xavier Tillman
Sam Hauser
2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Neemias Queta
Injuries/Out
Jaylen Brown (hand) questionable
Jayson Tatum (knee) questionable
Jaden Springer (knee) questionable
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Probable Trail Blazers Starters
Trail Blazers Reserves
Delano Banton
Moses Brown
Duop Reath
Two-Way Players
Ibou Badji
Ashton Hagans
Justin Minaya
Injuries/Out
Ibou Badji (back) questionable
Malcolm Brogdon (elbow) out
Toumani Camara (ribs) out
Jerami Grant (hamstring) doubtful
Shaedon Sharpe (abdomen) out
Anfernee Simons (knee) out
Matisse Thybulle (ankle) out
Robert Williams III (knee) out
Head Coach
Chauncey Billups
Key Matchups
Kristaps Porzingis vs Deandre Ayton
Ayton is averaging 16.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 steal per game. He is shooting 57.6% from the field and 20% on 3 pointers. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 22 points, 15 rebounds, and 1 assist. He shot 57.9% from the field but did not take a 3. The Celtics need to keep him out of the paint and off the boards.
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Jrue Holiday
Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images
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Scoot Henderson
Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images
Jrue Holiday vs Scoot Henderson
Henderson is averaging 13.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. He is shooting 38.7% from the field and 31.4% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics he finished with 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists while shooting 41.7% from the field and 38.8% from beyond the arc.
Honorable Mention
Payton Pritchard vs Delano Banton
Pritchard has been the Celtics spark plug off the bench and likewise, that is what former Celtic, Delano Banton, has become for the Trail Blazers. Banton is averaging 9.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He is shooting 41.5% from the field and 33.1% on 3’s for the season. In his last 5 games, he is averaging 20.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game. I’m sure he is going to try to show his former team what they are missing out on.
Keys to the Game
Defense – I know I say it every game, but defense is the key to winning every game and will be the key to winning a championship. The Blazers average 106.9 points and the Celtics average 120.8 points per game. The Celtics are 2nd in the league with a defensive rating of 110.5 while the Blazers are 23rd with a defensive rating of 116.6. The Celtics need to keep making tough defense their priority and identity. They must make defense their identity consistently in every minute of every game, especially as they get closer to the playoffs.
Rebound – As Pat Riley once stated, “No rebounds, no rings.” The Celtics are 2nd with 46.5 rebounds per game while the Trail Blazers are 25th with 42.3 rebounds per game. The Celtics must make an extra effort to grab rebounds in order to give themselves extra possessions as well as to keep the Blazers from scoring second chance points, as the Trail Blazers are 5th with 15.7 second chance points per game. The Celtics must be the team that works harder on the boards if they want to win this one. Much of rebounding is effort and desire and the Celtics need both to get a win in this game.
Al Scoring 8+ Points – Ok, this is a little out there, but the Celtics have won 22 straight games when Al Horford scores 8 or more points. Maybe it’s because they move the ball more and that gives Al more possessions to score on, or maybe it’s just a coincidence, but it bodes well for the Celtics when Al gets involved in the offense and scores 8 or more points.
Be Aggressive – The Celtics have to be the team that works harder and wants the win more. They have to dive for loose balls, go for every rebound and just hustle on every play on both ends of the court. They have to be aggressive in getting to the basket as well and not settle for outside shots, especially if they aren’t falling. Whether it’s the starters or reserves, they need to go all out with maximum effort.
X-Factors Home vs End of the Road – The Celtics are once again at home. They should get a boost from playing at home in front of their home crowd. The Blazers are just 10-29 on the road and so the Celtics need to stay focused and not give them any confidence or help them by turning the ball over or shooting poorly. The Trail Blazers are playing in the final game of a 7 game road trip and that is usually one of the hardest games to win as the team is tired and ready to be home already.
Officiating – I know that I say this every game, but the officiating really is always 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 not so much and sometimes they just make a bunch of head scratching calls. The Celtics have got to adjust to the way the game is being called and not let themselves get frustrated by the officiating.
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