Bulls (26-14) at Celtics (13-24) Game #38 1/16/15

[FLCeltsFan]

  at 
Chicago Bulls (26-14) at Boston Celtics (13-24)
Friday, January 16, 2015
7:30 PM ET
Game #38, Road Game #21
TV: CSNNE, CSNCHI, NBA-LP 758(DTV)/756(Xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, ESPN 1000AM
TD Garden



Probable Starters

PG: Evan Turner................................................SG Avery Bradley

C:  Tyler Zeller

SF: Jae Crowder ................................. ............PF Jared Sullinger

Celtics Reserves
Phil Pressey
Brandon Bass
Kelly Olynyk
Gerald Wallace
Marcus Smart
James Young
Marcus Thornton

Injuries
Evan Turner (thumb) day to day
Jared Sullinger (illness)  day to day
James Young  (illness)  day to day

Players Who May or May Not Even Be Celtics at Gametime
Tayshaun Prince (From Grizzlies and Buy Out?)
Shavlik Randolph  (May or may not be here)
Chris Douglas Roberts (probably not but who knows???)




Probable Starters

PG: Derrick Rose ............................................. SG: Jimmy Butler

C: Joakim Noah

SF: Tony Snell ............................................. PF: Paul Gasol

Bulls Reserves
Taj Gibson
Kirk Hinrich
Cameron Bairstow
E'Twaun Moore
Taj Gibson
Nikola Mirotic

Injuries
Doug McDermott (knee) out
Mike Dunleavy (ankle)  out
Joakim Noah (hand/ankle) questionable
Kirk Hinrich (hamstring) probable
Taj Gibson (thumb) probable

Game Notes
The Celtics look to get back on track as they host the Chicago Bulls for the 4th and final meeting this season.  The Bulls lead the series 2-1.  The Bulls have been dealing with some injuries and have lost 2 their last 2 games.  They are 5-5 in their last 10 games.  The Celtics are looking to avoid a 2 game losing streak and are just 3-7 in their last 10 games.  The Celtics are 9-12 at home while the Bulls are 14-5 on the road. 

Doug McDermott (knee) and Mike Dunleavy (ankle) are listed as out in this game.  Joakim Noah is dealing with a hand injury and then rolled his ankle in Wednesday's loss to the Wizards and is questionable for this game.  Both Kirk Hinrich (hamstring) and Taj Gibson (thumb are probable). 

For the Celtics,  James Young and Jared Sullinger missed practice on Thursday with an illness of some type.  They are expected to play but are listed as day to day.   Evan Turner injured his thumb in the loss to the Hawks and is also listed as day to day. The newest (and former) Celtic, Shavlik Randolph may or may not be with the team for this one. 

Key Matchups
vs
Jared Sullinger & Tyler Zeller vs Pau Gasol & Joakim Noah
The Bulls have one of the tougher front courts to match up with.  Gasol and Noah are both long and very talented.  Gasol is averaging 18.8 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.14 blocks per game.  Noah is averaging 7.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game but he always seems to play his best against the Celtics.   Sullinger and Zeller will have their hands full trying to contain the Bulls big men and will have a tough time getting open shots with Gasol and Noah draped all over them.   The Celtics may catch a break of Noah's ankle keeps him out of the game. 

vs
Avery Bradley vs Jimmy Butler
Butler is playing about as well as anyone in the league.  He is averaging 20.7 points, 6.1rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.7 steals.   Avery will have his hands full trying to slow Butler down but slowing him will be key to getting a win against the Bulls. 

Honorable Mention
Evan Turner vs Derrick Rose
After struggling for much of the season so far, Derrick Rose is coming off his best game of the season, scoring 32 points vs the Wizards.  The Celtics may or may not have Evan Turner for this one.  If Turner isn't able to play, expect Marcus Smart to get the start in his place. 

Keys to the Game
Defense - The Bulls are a high scoring team, averaging 102.0 points per game.   The Celtics defense has left much to be desired, allowing 103.8 points per game.   On the other hand, as you would expect from a Tom Thibodeau coached team, the Bulls are allowing only 99.3 points per game.  The Celtics have got to match the Bulls defensive intensity if they expect to win this one. 

Rebound - The Celtics can't score if they don't have the ball.  Rebounding will be tough against Chicago's big front line, but much of rebounding is effort and desire and so the Celtics must put out the extra effort on the boards to give themselves extra possessions as well as to limit the Bulls fast break opportunities and second chance points.  The Bulls are a good rebounding team, pulling down 45.3 per game, which is 4th best in the league.  The Celtics have to match their effort on the boards. 

Limit Turnovers - The Celtics are averaging almost 15 turnovers per game, which is too many.  They also seem to go through spurts in the game when they lose focus and have a flurry of turnovers.   With a young team and with all of the trades, some turnovers are to be expected, but they have to take better care of the ball and also keep their focus better throughout the game if they want to win this one.

Play 48 Minutes - The Celtics seem to play very well at times, sometimes starting off strong and sometimes finishing strong.  But then at other times, they seem to fade away and can't seem to do anything right.   They have to make an effort to play hard and keep their focus from the starting tip until the final buzzer.

Be Aggressive - The Celtics must be aggressive on both ends of the court.  They have to be the more aggressive team going for loose balls, on defense, on the boards, and in going to the hoop.   The Celtics will be aggressive at times and then be timid at other times.  They have to be the more aggressive team throughout the game.

X-Factors
Focus and Injuries
You wouldn't blame the Celtics for struggling with staying focused.  They have had teammates traded and there are questions as to who will be a Celtic tomorrow.  They are also one of the youngest teams in the league and young players struggle with focus at times.  If they can stay focused they may have a chance.  Also, injuries may play a role in the outcome if Noah can't play and/or if Turner, Sully, and Young can't play. 

[csfansince60s]

TP FL, thanks for thread. Great job per usual.

We owe them for the last game. Go Cs!!

[hwangjini_1]

should be a good game. i hope we see more of young.

gooooo celtics.

thanks flc, as ever.

[Clench123]

I think it would be nice to include teams' headcoach in your game threads.  I think they are just as much part of the game as the players.  Just a suggestion.

[LatterDayCelticsfan]

Shavlik. Such an interesting name.

[FLCeltsFan]

Thanks csfansince60s!  And a TP for being the first to post in the game thread.   Go Celtics! 

[FLCeltsFan]

I think it would be nice to include teams' headcoach in your game threads.  I think they are just as much part of the game as the players.  Just a suggestion.

Thanks for the suggestion.  I'll try to do that. 

[greece66]

I ll watch the game with a Greek friend who is a Bulls fan, so I won't be making many comments here. But we' ll have fun 

[greece66]

Tonight's starters:

Celtics: Turner, Bradley, Crowder, Sully, Zeller.

Bulls: Rose, Butler, Snell, Gibson, Gasol.

[greece66]

Stevens said C’s expect Tayshaun Prince and Shavlik Randolph to join team in LA.

[greece66]

James Young (flu) out vs. Bulls. Jared Sullinger (flu) and Evan Turner (thumb) expected to play.

[greece66]

No Joakim Noah for the Bulls tonight

[Celts Fan 508]

Stevens said C’s expect Tayshaun Prince and Shavlik Randolph to join team in LA.

Does this mean that Prince might be staying?  I was rooting for a buyout.

[GreenGoggles]

I feel like Smart should be getting some consideration for the starting spot pretty soon...either way as long as hes getting close to 30 mpg I'm okay with it.

[BleedGreen1989]

I feel like Smart should be getting some consideration for the starting spot pretty soon...either way as long as hes getting close to 30 mpg I'm okay with it.

Yeah, i don't think it matters if Smart starts at all this season.