vs
Toronto Raptors (2-6) at Boston Celtics (5-4)
Saturday, November 17, 2012
12:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #10, Home Game #5
TV: CSNNE, SNET1, NBA-LP 751
Radio: CJCL, WEEI
TD Garden 
Probable Starters PG
SG
SF
PF
C
PG: Leandro Barbosa
SG: Jason Terry
SF: Paul Pierce
PF: Brandon Bass
C: Kevin Garnett
Celtics Reserves Jared Sullinger
Jason Collins
Jeff Green
Courtney Lee
Leandro Barbosa
Chris Wilcox
Darko Milicic
Injured Avery Bradley (shoulders) out
Rajon Rondo (ankle) day to day
Red Claws Fab Melo
Kris Joseph
Probable StartersPG
SG
SF
PF
C
PG: Jose Calderon
SG: DeMar DeRozan
SF: Dominic McGuire
PF: Andrea Bargnani
C: Jonas Valanciunas
Raptors BenchAmir Johnson
Linas Kleiza
John Lucas
Ed Davis
Terrence Ross
Quincy Acy
Aaron Gray
Injuries Kyle Lowry (foot) out
Landry Fields (elbow) out
Alan Anderson (foot) out
Key Matchups 
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Leandro Barbosa vs Jose Calderon
Both teams had to play without their starting point guard in their last game. The Celtics lost their last game without Rondo while the Raptors won their last game without Lowry. Calderon is a very good point guard in his own right and so Barbosa will have his hands full trying to contain him.
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Brandon Bass vs Andrea Bargnani
Bass gives up 4 inches to Bargnani but Bass is much stronger and hopefully can keep Bargnani off balance. Bargnani is a good 3 point shooter and so Bass will need to guard him on the perimeter as well as inside.
Honorable MentionKevin Garnett vs Jonas Valanciunas
KG is known to be hard on rookies and hopefully he can rattle the Raptors' rookie center. KG has been playing well and hopefully that will continue in this game.
Keys to the Game Rebound - The Celtics have got to crash the boards to prevent second chance points. They are on the way to setting a record for fewest rebounds. I'd love for Doc to play Darko with the second unit instead of always going with small ball. Much of rebounding is effort and desire as evidenced by Courtney Lee's team high 9 rebounds in the last game. The effort they put out on the boards will usually spread to other areas of the game as well.
Defense - The Celtics must make defense a priority in each and every game. They seem to play defense in spurts and in between they allow easy baskets and wide open shots especially on pick and rolls and in transition. They must play strong defense all game. With the Raptors, they must particularly guard the perimeter as they love to shoot from beyond the arc.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics have to be the more aggressive team. They have to be aggressive in going to the basket and not just settle for outside shots. Good things happen when players drive to the hoop. They also have to be aggressive on defense and in fighting for loose balls.
Make Free Throws - Down the stretch against the Nets, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry each missed a pair of free throws. Both are usually good free throw shooters and so it may have been a matter of focus. It's usually hard enough for the Celtics to get to the line, they have to make good on the ones they get.
Game NotesThis is the first regular season meeting between these two Atlantic Division teams and it is the first of 4 meetings this season. The Celtics are 2-2 at home and would like to establish a domination at home. The Raptors are 1-3 on the road.
The Celtics might be forced to play without their point guard and assist leader once again as Rondo is listed as day to day. The Celtics were 9-5 last season without Rondo including their last meeting with the Raptors in the Garden that the Celtics won 100-64.
The Celtics are playing in the first of back to back games and in the 3rd in 4 days. The Raptors last game was on Tuesday so they come into this one well rested. This is a rare Saturday afternoon game. In past seasons, the Celtics have struggled in early games. Hopefully that trend doesn't continue in this game.
X-Factors Bench + Rondo
The Celtics are playing in the 3rd game in 4 days and are in the midst of a 4 games in 5 days stretch. Doc has done well to limit the starters minutes and the second unit has come through for them. They have to once again come through in this game as Doc will limit the starters with another game tomorrow. The odds of winning definitely increase if Rondo can play.
Celtics Basketball
