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Boston Celtics (7-14) at Philadelphia 76ers (2-21)
Regular Season Game #22, Road Game #9
Monday, December 15, 2014
7:00 PM ET
TV: CSNNE, CSN-PHI, NBA-LP 753(DTV)/751 (Xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 97.5 The Fanatic
Wells Fargo Center
Probable Starters 
PG Rajon Rondo....... SG: Avery Bradley
C: Tyler Zeller
SG: Jeff Green ....... PF: Jared Sullinger
Celtics ReservesPhil Pressey
Evan Turner
Brandon Bass
Dwight Powell
Tyler Zeller
Gerald Wallace
InjuriesVitor Faverani (knee) out
Marcus Thornton (calf) out
Marcus Smart (Achilles) out
James Young (shoulder) out
Probable Starters 
PG: Michael Carter-Williams ................... SG: Hollis Thompson
C: Nerlens Noel
SG: Robert Covington ........... PF: Luc Mbah a Moute
Sixers ReservesJaKarr Sampson
Drew Gordon
Jerami Grant
Henry Sims
Tony Wroten
Andrei Kirilenko
Ronald Roberts
Injuries Joel Embiid (foot) out
KJ McDaniels (ankle) questionable
Jason Richardson (knee) out
Game NotesThe Celtics travel to Philadelphia hoping to get back on track against the tanking Sixers. They will meet in Boston on 2/6 and 3/16. The Celtics won their first regular season meeting 101-90 for the Sixers 11th loss and keeping them winless on the season. The Celtics also won two meetings against the Sixers in the preseason.
The Sixers, like the Celtics have been able to build leads against good teams but then can't hold on for the win. In their last game, the Sixers led the Grizzlies by 18 with 7:39 to go in regulation, but lost in OT. Several of their losses have come by 5 points or less
It's hard to believe but the Sixers have fewer wins than Rajon Rondo has triple doubles. The Sixers have two wins which have come against the struggling Timberwolves and Pistons. The Sixers may be taking tanking to a new level, but the Celtics can't take a win here for granted.
The Celtics defense has a problem for them. They are allowing teams to score 106.5 (3rd in the league0 on 46.0 percent shooting (6th) They are even worse than the 76ers, who are allowing 103.7 points, 6th worst. So, as bad as the Sixers have been, they are better defensively than the Celtics.
The Sixers, however, have been dismal on offense, averaging a league worst 91.4 points per game. In spite of their defensive struggles, the Celtics are averaging 104.2 points per game, which ranks them 6th in the league. The Sixers are 0-12 at home while the Celtics are 2-6 on the road.
Key Matchups vs
Rajon Rondo vs Michael Carter Williams
Carter-Williams, last year's rookie of the year, is averaging 15.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 1.19 steals per game. Rondo will be looking to be more aggressive after taking some heat for the Celtics losses in their last 3 games. This should be a good matchup.
vs
Tyler Zeller vs Nerlens Noel
Zeller has been playing very well lately and will be challenged by Noel, who has been coming on strong of late as well. Noel is averaging 7.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.6 steals. He leads all rookies in rebounding and will be a problem for the Celtics inside.
Honorable Mention Evan Turner vs Tony Wroten
This will be a battle of 6th men for these two teams. Wroten brings a boost off the bench for the Sixers, averaging 17.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.76 steals per game. With Marcus Thornton sidelined for this game, the Celtics will need to get a boost off the bench from Evan Turner.
Keys to the Game Defense - Defense is key to winning. Defense wins games pure and simple. Unfortunately this has been where the Celtics have struggled the most, allowing teams to score 106.5 points, which is 3rd worst in the league. They have to somehow figure out a way to get stops, especially late in games.
Rebound - The Celtics have to crash the boards in order to give themselves extra possessions as well as to prevent the Sixers from getting second chance points and fast breaks.
Play 48 Minutes - The Celtics have had lapses in each of their losses. They have either fallen behind and then had to catch up or got off to a big lead and then let up and lost it. They have to focus and play hard from the opening tip until the final buzzer with no let up!
Pace and Space - The Celtics must set the pace and run on every possession. It seems that they run to start most games and build a lead or hang with teams but then they slow it down and walk the ball up the court and no longer keep up the pace.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics need to be the more aggressive team. They must be the first to loose balls and rebounds, and they have to be aggressive in driving to the basket and not always settling for jumpers. They must be aggressive on defense and set the tone for the game.
X-Factors Road Game and OverconfidenceThe Celtics will be on the road and young teams often struggle on the road. If the Celtics come in overconfident and take the Sixers for granted they could come away with a 4 game losing streak. They must take the Sixers seriously and play hard.
Topic: Celtics (7-14) at Sixers (2-21) Game #22 12/15/14 (Read 54145 times)