The Celtics return home for their final game before the All Star Break. They are hosting the San Antonio Spurs for the first of 2 games between them this season. They will meet one more time in San Antonio on March 29. The Celtics won the series 2-0 last season. They are 45-58 overall against the Spurs all time and 24-28 in games played in Boston.
The Spurs made a few changes in the off season. Their biggest move was to sign Chris Paul as a free agent. They also traded Devonte Graham and picks for Harrison Barnes and picks. They also drafted Stephon Castle with the 4th pick and Harrison Ingram with the 48th pick. They saved their best move for the trade deadline when they traded for De’Aaron Fox.
The Celtics remain 2nd in the East. They are 5.5 games behind 1st place Cleveland. They are 2.5 games ahead of 3rd place New York and 8 games ahead of 4th place Indiana. They are 16-10 at home and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are 10-7 against Western Conference teams. They have won their last 2 games.
The Spurs are 12th in the West, 19.5 games behind first place Oklahoma City. They are 3 games behind 10th place Golden State and 2.5 games behind 11th place Phoenix. They are 1.5 games ahead of 13th place Portland. They are 9-15 on the road and 4-6 in their last 10 games. They are 7-10 against Eastern Conference teams and are coming off a win in their last game.
The Celtics are back at home after a 2-0 road trip through New York and Miami. This is the last game before the much needed All Star Break. They will play at Philadelphia and at home against the Knicks after the break then at Raptors and at Pistons before a 7 game home stand against Cleveland, Denver, Portland, Philadelphia, LA Lakers, Utah, and Oklahoma City.
The Spurs are also playing in their final game before the All Star Break. This is the final game of a 6 game road trip for the Spurs where they had wins against Atlanta and Washington and losses to Charlotte, Orlando, and Memphis. They will return home for back to back games against Phoenix and Detroit after the break.
Torrey Craig is yet to make his debut in Boston as he comes back from an ankle injury and is questionable for this game. Jaylen Brown missed Monday’s game with right knee swelling and is questionable for this game. If he can’t play, I would expect Sam Hauser to start in his place.
Jrue Holiday has been ruled out for this game and will miss his third straight game with a nerve issue in his right shoulder. I would expect Al Horford to once again start in this game with Derrick White moving to the point. For the Spurs, Charles Bassey is out with a knee injury and Riley Minix is out with a shoulder injury.
Probable Celtics Starters
PG: Derrick White
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Al Horford
C: Kristaps Porzingis
Celtics Reserves
Luke Kornet
Payton Pritchard
Neemias Queta
Sam Hauser
Baylor Scheierman
Xavier Tillman, Sr
Jordan Walsh
Al Horford
2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Anton Watson
Injuries/Out
Jrue Holiday (shoulder) out
Torrey Craig (ankle) questionable
Jaylen Brown (knee) questionable
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Probable Spurs Starters
PG: Chris Paul
SG: De’Aaron Fox
SF: Devin Vassell
PF: Harrison Barnes
C: Victor Wembanyama
Spurs Reserves
Bismack Biyombo
Malaki Branham
Stephon Castle
Julian Champagnie
Keldon Johnson
Sandro Mamukelashvili
Jordan McLaughlin
Jeremy Sochan
Blake Wesley
2-Way Players
David Duke, Jr
Harrison Ingram
Riley Minix
Injuries/Out
Charles Bassey (knee) out
Riley Minix (shoulder) out
Head Coach
Gregg Popovich
Key Matchups
Jaylen Brown (or Sam Hauser) vs De’Aaron Fox
Fox is averaging 24.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He is shooting 46.9% from the field and 31.9% from beyond the arc. In his games with San Antonio, he is averaging 20 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal per game. He put up 30 points in his last game. It will be up to Brown (or Hauser) to slow him down in this game.
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Kristaps Porzingis
Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images
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Victor Wembanyama
Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images
Kristaps Porzingis vs Victor Wembanyama
This should be a fun matchup. Wembanyama is 7’3” tall while Porzingis is 7’2”tall. Wembanyama is averaging 24.4 points, 11 rebounds, 3.6 assists 1.2 steals and 3.9 blocks. He is shooting 47.7% from the field and 35.5% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to be especially aware of Wemby when they are going to the basket as he is a threat to block shots every time. They also need to keep him out of the paint and off the glass as well as guarding him on the perimeter.
Honorable Mention
Jayson Tatum vs Devin Vassell
Vassell is averaging 16.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. He is shooting 43.9% from the field and 36.1% from beyond the arc. Jayson Tatum is coming off 2 of his best games of the season and hopefully will continue that play in this game.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense will always be the most important key to winning games. The Celtics are 5th with a defensive rating of 109.7 while the Spurs are 21st with a defensive rating of 114.1. The Celtics need to defend the perimeter because the Spurs shoot 39.5 threes per game (6th) and they shoot 35.2% as a team. The Celtics need to make defense a priority and play tough team defense from start to finish and not let up.
Rebound – The Celtics can’t score if they don’t have the ball, and they will struggle if they give up second chance points to the Spurs. The Celtics are averaging 44.9 rebounds per game (10th) while the Spurs are averaging 45.1 rebounds per game (8th). Much of rebounding is effort and if you doubt that, 6’1” Payton Pritchard had 10 rebounds in his last game. When the Celtics put in extra effort on the boards, that effort tends to spread to other areas of the game as well.
Play the Right Way – The Celtics need to move the ball to find the best shot. When they play hero ball and don’t keep the ball moving, the Celtics struggle. But, when they keep the ball moving and move without the ball, they are very tough to beat. They need to focus on playing defense and having each others backs. They need to crash the boards and box out. They need to focus on taking and making good shots. If the 3’s aren’t falling, take the ball to the basket. Play with focus and with energy.
Effort and Energy – The Celtics are playing a bad team at home. In the past, either one of those things was reason for concern. Hopefully they have turned a corner and will play with effort and with energy in this one regardless of the Spurs record. Also, they have lost 3 of their last 4 at home. They have to play with more effort and energy at home.
X-Factors
Home Game and Don’t Underestimate – The Spurs are playing in the final game of a 6 game road trip. The Spurs will likely be feeling some fatigue from travel and being on the road and from staying in hotels and playing in front of hostile crowds. The Celtics need to take advantage of having the crowd behind them and from playing in the friendly confines of the TD Garden. The Celtics can’t underestimate the Spurs based on their record. If a team underestimates an opponent, even the worst team in the league, there’s always a chance it can come back to bite them.
Officiating – Officiating is always an X-Factor. Every crew officiates differently and teams need to adjust to the way the game is called. Will they call the game evenly or favor the home team? Will they call it tight or let them play? Hopefully we get fair officiating and they let them play and the Celtics focus on playing and not on the officiating.
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