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Boston Celtics (12-21) at Indiana Pacers (14-23)
Friday, January 9, 2015
7:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #34, Road Game #15
TV: CSNNE, FSI, NBA-LP 750(DTV)/751(xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 1070 The Fan
Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard 
vs
Evan Turner vs CJ Watson
Shooting Guard
vs
Avery Bradley vs CJ Miles
Small Forward 
vs
Jeff Green vs Solomon Hill
Power Forward 
vs
Jared Sullinger vs David West
Center
vs
Tyler Zeller vs Roy Hibbert
Celtics Reserves Phil Pressey
Brandon Bass
Kelly Olynyk
Gerald Wallace
Marcus Smart
Jae Crowder
Brandan Wright
James Young
Marcus Thornton
InjuriesJameer Nelson (ankle) day to day
Pacers ReservesChris Copeland
Damjan Rudez
Lavoy Allen
Shayne Whittington
Luis Scola
Donald Sloan
InjuriesRodney Stuckey (groin) questionable
CJ Watson (foot) questionable
Roy Hibbert (ankle) questionable
Paul George (tibia) out
George Hill (groin) out
Ian Mahinmi (fascia) out
Game Notes The Celtics continue their 3 game road trip with a visit to the short handed Indiana Pacers. This is the 2nd game between these two teams. The Celtics won their first meeting in Boston 101-98. They will play twice more on 3/14 in Indiana and 4/1 in Boston. That win in Boston snapped a 4 game losing streak to the Pacers.
The Celtics began their road trip with a win in Brooklyn on Wednesday. The Pacers are back home after a 2-2 four game road trip. They are coming off a 117-102 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.
Brad Stevens is looking for his first win in his home town. The Pacers won both games in Indiana by an average of 19 points last season. The Celtics are 4-10 on the road while the Pacers are 7-9 at home. The Celtics lead the series 87-72 but the Pacers lead at home 48-30.
The Pacers injury woes began with Paul George's injury on the Olympic team but they have gotten much worse. Their starting back court missed time on their road trip. George Hill (groin) missed the entire trip and is out for this game. Rodney Stuckey (groin) missed the last 2 games of the trip and is questionable for this game. Stuckey's replacement CJ Watson is also dealing with a foot injury but is probable for this game.
Roy Hibbert sprained his ankle in Wednesday's loss to the Warriors and is listed as questionable for this game. Ian Mahinmi (plantar fascia) is also out for this game. But, the Celtics shouldn't take this team for granted, even with all of the injuries. Too often a wounded animal is a dangerous one and that holds true for basketball teams as well.
Key Matchups vs
Tyler Zeller vs Roy Hibbert
Hibbert left Wednesday's game against the Warriors with an ankle injury and is questionable for this game. It would be a huge break for the Celtics if the 7'2" center is out. The Pacers allow a league best 47.8% shooting within 5 feet of the basket and Hibbert is a big reason for that.
vs
Jared Sullinger vs David West
West is averaging 12.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists and has torched the Celtics in the past. It will be important to limit his impact on the game. The Celtics will also need Sully to have a big game in this one.
Honorable Mention Evan Turner vs CJ Watson
Turner played for the Pacers at the end of last season and never really got much of a chance to prove himself. He came in for a lot of criticism there. I'm sure he would love to have a big game in this one and get back at his old team.
Keys to the Game Push the Pace - The Celtics are most effective when they run and move the ball. They struggle when they slow the pace of the game down. However, when they push the pace they have to focus more to avoid the turnovers that can derail their game. Against the Nets, they pushed the ball without turning it over. They need to do the same in this game.
Defense - Even though the Pacers aren't necessarily a high scoring team, averaging 95.1 points per game, the Celtics still need to play tough team and individual defense as they have players who are capable of having big offensive nights. Also, since the Pacers are a good defensive team, allowing only 96.6 points per game, playing good defense themselves will be the Celtics' best bet to beat them.
Rebound - The Pacers are 7th in the league in rebounding. The Celtics will need to put out extra effort to crash the boards as a team in order to prevent second chance points for the Pacers. The Celtics can't score without the ball and so they need to grab rebounds to give themselves more scoring opportunities.
Be Aggressive and Play Hard - The Celtics need to play hard and be aggressive from start to finish. They have to be more aggressive on the boards, in diving for loose balls, in going hard to the hoop, and just play harder on both ends of the court.
X-Factors
Injuries and Effort The Pacers are short handed and dealing with several injuries on the team. Hibbert's presence or absence will be a big x-factor. The Celtics can't use the Pacers' injuries to give less than 100% effort, however. If the Celtics play hard as they did against the Nets, they have a very good chance of winning this game.
Topic: Celtics (12-21) at Pacers (14-23) Game #34 1/9/15 (Read 36942 times)