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Atlanta Hawks (43-10) at Boston Celtics (19-31)
Wednesday, February, 2015
7:30 PM ET
Game #51 Home Game #27
TV: CSNNE, SportsSouth, NBA-LP 753(DTV), 752(Xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 92.9 FM
TD Garden
Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
vs
Marcus Smart vs Jeff Teague
Shooting Guard 
vs
Avery Bradley vs Kyle Korver
Small Forward 
vs
Evan Turner vs DeMarre Carroll
Power Forward
vs
Brandon Bass vs Paul Millsap
Center 
vs
Jared Sullinger vs Al Horford
Celtics ReservesTyler Zeller
Gerald Wallace
Jae Crowder
Marcus Thornton
Tayshaun Prince
James Young
Phil Pressey
Andre Dawkins
InjuriesKelly Olynyk (ankle) out
Shavlik Randolph (hamstring) out
Head CoachBrad Stevens
Hawks Reserves
Elton Brand
Shelvin Mack
Dennis Shroder
Kent Bazemore
Mike Scott
Mike Muscala
Pero Antic
John Jenkins
InjuriesThabo Sefolosha (calf) out
Head CoachMike Budenholzer
Game NotesThe Celtics end the unofficial first half of the season by hosting the league leading Atlanta Hawks. With the Hawks in first place in the East 7.5 games ahead of the Raptors and the Celtics just 2.5 games out of the 8th seed, this could be a preview of a first round playoffs matchup.
This is the 3rd and final meeting between these two teams, unless they meet in the playoffs, that is. The Hawks are up 2-0 in the series, winning 109-105 in Atlanta and 105-91 in Boston. This will be a tough game for the Celtics to win given how well Atlanta has been playing. They have won 20 of their last 22 games, going undefeated in January.
The Hawks are 6th in the league in scoring at 103.7 points per game. They also are 5th in defense, holding opponents to 97.0 points per game. They have won their last 13 games against Eastern Conference teams and have won their last 7 games on the road. The Celtics would have to do everything right and the Hawks would have to slip up for the Celtics to get a win in this one.
Key Matchups vs
Marcus Smart vs Jeff Teague
Jeff Teague is playing very well, averaging 17.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.7 steals per game and has the Hawks offense running very smoothly. If Smart can play tough defense and disrupt Teague as much as he can to keep him from getting into the offense quickly, it may give the Celtics a chance to win this game.
vs
Brandon Bass vs Paul Millsap
Milsap is a handful for anyone to have to play against. He is averaging 17.0 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Bass will have to play well on both ends of the court.
Keys to the Game
Play 48 Minutes - The Celtics have periods where they play great and then they have stretches when they can't hit a shot and can't defend and turn the ball over on every possession. They have to be consistent from start to finish, especially down the final stretch of the game. The Hawks are one of the best 4th quarter teams in the league, averaging 26.0 points. If the Celtics let up, the Hawks will make them pay.
Defense - The Hawks shoot a lot of 3 pointers. They are 9th in the league attempting 25.3 three pointers a game and they are 4th in the league, making 9.9 threes per game. They have several good shooters from distance, especially Kyle Korver who leads the league in 3 point percentage at 52.4%. The Celtics must up their perimeter defense if they expect to hang with the Hawks. They also have to defend the paint better with Millsap and Horford and Teague all very good at attacking the basket.
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 they must win 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, and in defending. They have to be aggressive in taking the ball inside and not settling for outside shots, especially when those shots aren't falling. The Celtics have to be more aggressive throughout the game.
X-Factors
Miracles The Hawks could be looking forward to the All Star break and overlook playing the Celtics. The Celtics could play that perfect came where everything goes well. Otherwise, the Hawks have been playing so well that this will be a tough one for the Celtics to win.
Topic: Hawks (43-10) at Celtics (19-31) Game #51 2/11/15 (Read 49278 times)