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New Orleans Hornets (12-26) at Boston Celtics (20-17)
Friday, January 16, 2013
8:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #38 – Home Game #20
TV: CSN-NE, FSNO, NBA-LP 756(NOH)/757(BOS)
Radio: WEEI, WWL
TD Garden ProbableStarters PG Rajon Rondo 13.2 PPG 11.2 APG 5.2 RPG 1.8 SPG
SG Avery Bradley 8.7 PPG 1.3 APG 1.7 RPG .308 3P%
SF Paul Pierce 19.6 PPG 5.5 RPG 3.8 APG
PF Brandon Bass 7.8 PPG 5.1 RPG 0.7 BPG
C Kevin Garnett 14.6 PPG 7.1 RPG 0.8 BPG
ReservesJared Sullinger
Jason Collins
Courtney Lee
Jeff Green
Leandro Barbosa
Jason Terry
InjuriesChris Wilcox (thumb) day to day
Red ClawsFab Melo
Probable StartersPG
Greivis Vasquez 14.1 PPG 9.1 APG 4.5 RPG 0.7 SPG
SG
Eric Gordon 16.6 PPG 3.9 APG .156 3P%
SF
Al Farouq Amino 7.4 PPG 7.0 RPG 1.5 APG
PF
Anthony Davis 13.2 PPG 7.8 RPG 1.8 BPG
C
Robin Lopez 11.5 PPG 5.7 RPG 1.8 BPG
Reserves Xavier Henry
Roger Mason Jr
Ryan Anderson
Jason Smith
Austin Rivers
Brian Roberts
Donald Sloan
Lance Thomas
Darius Miller
Injuries None
Team ConnectionsAvery Bradley and Hornets Head Trainer Jon Ishop both attended the University of Texas
Brandon Bass was drafted by the Hornets with the 33rd pick in the 2005 NBA Draft and played for them from 2005-07
Bass and Ryan Anderson were teammates in Orlando from 2009-11
Jason Collins and Robin Lopez both attended Stanford
Paul Pierce and Xavier Henry attended Kansas
Rajon Rondo, Anthony Davis and Darius Miller all attended Kentucky
Chris Wilcox and Greivis Vazquez went to Maryland
Celtics Head Coach Doc Rivers is the father of Austin Rivers
Leandro Barbosa and Robin Lopez were teammates in Phoenix during the 2009-10 season.
Game Notes Doc Rivers will have his first shot at coaching against his son Austin as the Celtics host the New Orleans Hornets. The Hornets are coming in off a win over the Sixers on Tuesday night. The Celtics are looking to extend their win streak to a season high 7 games. Both teams are 6-4 in their last 10 games. The Celtics are 13-6 at home while the Hornets are 6-13 on the road.
The Hornets have been inconsistent and have been dealing with injuries, but they are healthy and finally finding some consistency. They are coming off a 111-99 road win over the Sixers and it wouldn't be a good idea for the Celtics to underestimate them. As much as Doc wants his son to succeed, he needs to do his best in this game to keep him from doing so. It will certainly be a tough game for Doc as both a coach and a dad.
Key Matchups vs
Rajon Rondo vs Grievis Vasquez
Vasquez has been playing very well for the Hornets and is coming off a 23 point, 9 assist effort to lead the Hornets over the Sixers. Rondo needs to disrupt Vasquez with his defense as well as keep the Celtics offense moving. It's possible that Rondo and Avery will swap on the defensive end.
vs
Avery Bradley vs Eric Gordon
Gordon is capable of putting up a lot of points and so it will be up to Avery and Rondo to keep him from getting his shot going. At the same time, it would be nice to see Avery's offense continue to improve.
Honorable Mention Courtney Lee vs Austin Rivers
Lee and Rivers are old friends from Orlando. Since Austin is coming off the bench for New Orleans the job of covering him will likely fall to Courtney Lee. Austin has been struggling of late and it would be nice to keep him struggling just one more game.
Keys to the GameDefense - The Celtics have been winning with their defense and they need to continue to make defense their main focus. As long as they play lock down Celtics' team defense, they will always have a chance to win games.
Rebound - It takes effort to rebound and the Celtics must put forth that effort if they want to win this game. They can't allow the Hornets to get second chance baskets. They must be the team that wants it more if they expect to win this game and that effort and desire will show itself on the boards.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics must be the more aggressive team. They have to be aggressive on defense and they must be aggressive on the boards. They have to win the 50-50 balls and they also have to take the ball to the basket and not settle for jumpers, especially if the jumpers aren't falling.
X-FactorHome Court and Back to Back
The Celtics are at home and need to continue to use the boost from the home crowd to play their best. The Hornets are on the road and playing in back to back games so fatigue may be a factor for them.