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Atlanta Hawks (26-29) at Boston Celtics (19-39)
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
7:30 PM ET
Game #59 Home Game #29
TV: CSNNE, SportSouth, NBA-LP 754(DTV)/752,753(Xfinity)
Radio: WZLX 100.7, 92.9 FM
TD Garden
Probable Starting Matchups Point Guardvs
Rajon Rondo vs Jeff Teague
Shooting Guardvs
Gerald Wallace vs Shelvin Mack
Small Forward vs
Jeff Green vs Kyle Korver
Power Forward vs
Brandon Bass vs DeMarre Carroll
Center vs
Kris Humphries vs Elton Brand
Celtics ReservesKelly Olynyk
Jerryd Bayless
Joel Anthony
Chris Johnson
Phil Pressey
InjuriesKeith Bogans (personal) out
Vitor Faverani (knee) day to day
Avery Bradley (ankle) day to day
Jared Sullinger (head) day to day
Hawks ReservesMike Scott
Dennis Shroder
Lou Williams
Dexter Pittman
Cartier Martin
InjuriesGustavo Ayon (shoulder) questionable
Pero Antic (ankle) out
John Jenkins (back) out
Al Horford (shoulder) out
Paul Millsap (knee) questionable
Game Notes The Celtics face the Atlanta Hawks at home after a winless road trip. This is the 3rd of 4 meetings between these two teams. The Celtics won the first game in Atlanta 94-87 and then fell to the Hawks in Boston on New Year's Eve 92-91. They meet once more in April.
The Celtics hope to get Avery Bradley back in the starting lineup after he missed the road trip to rehab an ankle injury. They may also get to see Vitor Faverani once again. It would be great to see Jared Sullinger in this game but he needs to pass the NBA's concussion tests before he can get back on the court.
The Hawks have some injury problems of their own with 5 players either out or questionable. They are also playing in the second of back to back games after hosting the Bulls on Tuesday night. The Celtics have had a day off after their 4 game west coast swing but the first game back after a road trip is always a tough one to win.
The Celtics are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have lost their last 5 games. The Hawks are 2-8 in their last 10 games. The Celtics are 11-17 at home while the Hawks are 9-19 on the road.
Atlanta is tied with Charlotte for the 7th and 8th spots in the East. They are just half a game behind the 6th spot and 1.5 games back of the 5th seed. The Celtics have the 4th worst record in the league and are 2 ahead of Orlando and 2.5 games behind the Knicks. They are also 8.5 games out of the playoffs.
Key Matchups vs
Rajon Rondo vs Jeff Teague
Rondo returns from a rest in the last game along with a nice birthday party. Teague is a good young point guard and leads the Hawks with 15.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 7.1 assists. This should be a good matchup
vs
Jeff Green vs Kyle Korver
Korver is always a threat to put up big numbers. He is especially dangerous from beyond the arc where he has a record 124 consecutive games with at least one 3 pointer.
Keys to the GamePlay 48 Minutes - The Celtics have yet to put together an entire game where they play well. They have periods where they play great and then they have periods when they can't hit a shot and can't defend. They have to find some way to be consistent from start to finish.
Defense - The Hawks depend on the three to score. They are 3rd in the league attempting 24.9 3 pointers a game and they are 2nd in the league, making 9.4 3's per game and are making 37.7% of their shots from beyond the arc. They have several good shooters from distance and the Celtics must up their perimeter defense. They also have to defend the paint better. They have been allowing way too many easy points in the paint.
Rebound - The Celtics must crash the boards as a team, especially the guards. Rebounding takes effort and the Celtics must be the team that wants the win more and the team that wins the rebounding battle.
Set the Pace - The Celtics have to run on every possession. The Celtics have built leads in games by pushing the ball and getting easy shots before the defenses set up. Part of the reason they have given up those leads is that they stop running, stop pushing the ball inside, and stop moving the ball. They have to keep up the pace for the entire game.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics have to be the more aggressive team in going after loose balls, in rebounding, in defending, and in rebounding. They have to be aggressive in taking the ball inside and not settling for outside shots, especially when they aren't falling.
X-Factors Injuries and Back Home Both teams have been hit with the injury bug. Who plays and who is still out could determine a lot in this game.
The Celtics are back at home and that should give them a boost.