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Boston Celtics (30-39) at Brooklyn Nets (29-39)
Monday, March 23, 2015
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #70, Road Game #35
TV: CSNNE, YES, League Pass 750(DTV), 751/752(xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WFAN
Barclays Center
Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard 
vs
Marcus Smart vs Deron Williams
Shooting Guard 
vs
Avery Bradley vs Markel Brown
Small Forward 
vs
Evan Turner vs Joe Johnson
Power Forward 
vs
Brandon Bass vs Thaddeus Young
Center
vs
Tyler Zeller vs Brook Lopez
Celtics ReservesGerald Wallace
James Young
Phil Pressey
Shavlik Randolph
Jonas Jerebko
Gigi Datome
Kelly Olynyk
Jae Crowder
InjuriesJared Sullinger (foot) out
Isaiah Thomas (back,elbow) out
Head CoachBrad Stevens
Nets ReservesAlan Anderson
Bojan Bogdanovic
Jarrett Jack
Cory Jefferson
Jerome Jordan
Darius Morris
Mason Plumlee
Injuries Sergey Karasev (knee) out
Mirza Teletovic (chest) out
Head Coach Lionel Hollins
Game Notes The Celtics have lost 3 games in a row and have now dropped out of the 8th playoff spot back into 9th. Charlotte beat the Timberwolves on Sunday and jumped back into the 8th spot, half a game ahead of the Celtics. The Pacers are tied with the Celtics in 9th with the Nets just 1/2 game behind them.
This is the 4th and final game between the Celtics and the Nets. The Celtics lead the series 2-1, winning the first game 121-105 in Boston and winning again in January 89-81 on the road. They lost the game the day after Christmas at home 109-107. A win in this game will be big as it would give the Celtics the tie breaker with the Nets should they end up tied. The Celtics are at the point where they need every game.
The Nets have won their last 2 games and 3 of their last 5, which has allowed them to climb to within half a game of the Celtics, after being 2.5 games behind. The Celtics had won 5 straight and were playing very well, but then lost their last 3. The Nets are 12-19 at home and 4-6 in their last 10 while the Celtics are 12-22 on the road and 6-4 in their last 10.
The Celtics are playing on the second night of a back to back. They are 9-5 overall in the second of back to back games including some big wins in those games. But, they are just 2-4 in the second game of back to backs when the first game is home and the second game is on the road.
The Celtics will be happy to have Marcus Smart back in the lineup after serving his one game suspensio. Isaiah Thomas isn't expected to return until at least Wednesday. Jared Sullinger will miss the rest of the season with a foot injury. For the Nets, Sergey Karasev (knee) and Mirza Teletovic (chest) are both out.
The Nets have plenty of talent on their team, despite the record and so the Celtics can't take them for granted. They will need to play much better than they did against the Pistons if they hope to get a win in this one. For those watching the scoreboard, Houston is playing at Indiana and Charlotte is playing at Chicago. If they hope to make the playoffs, this is a must win.
Key Matchups vs
Evan Turner vs Joe Johnson
Joe Johnson is averaging 15.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game and he is always a threat to have a big game. The Celtics need to cover him, especially on the perimeter. On the other side, he has never been known as a lock down defender and so the Celtics may get some open looks as a result.
vs
Tyler Zeller vs Brook Lopez
Lopez has been playing very well of late and will be a tough matchup for Zeller. He is averaging 15.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. He is coming off a win over Indiana where he scored 26 points to go with 4 rebounds and 4 blocks.
Honorable MentionMarcus Smart vs Deron Williams
Like Joe Johnson, Williams is always a threat. He is averaging 13 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists. In his last game against Indiana, he finished with 17 points, 1 rebound and 6 assists.
Player to Watch Jarrett Jack
Jack has played very well against the first three contests between these two teams. He has averaged 17.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and3.7 assists in the 3 games against the Celtics this season. The Celtics would do well to play some defense on him in this one.
Keys to the Game Pace and Space - The Celtics must run and move the ball and get open shots. Running on every possession will allow them to get easy shots before the defenses can get set up. They can also wear the older Nets down if they can keep the pace up.
Move the Ball - When the Celtics keep the ball moving and find the open man, good things happen. They did a good job of keeping the ball moving against the Pistons for most of the game. But for some reason, in the 4th quarter, they stopped moving the ball and started playing hero ball. They have to keep the ball moving in this one. Hero ball rarely will win a game.
Rebound - The Celtics can't score if they don't have the ball. They have to rebound from every position on the court in order to give themselves extra possessions and to limit the Nets' fast break opportunities and second chance baskets. They all have to make an effort on the boards.
Defense - Defense is always the key to winning. The Nets allow 100.7 points per game points per game while the Celtics allow 101.7 points per game. The Celtics absolutely must clamp down on defense and find a way to get stops.
Play 48 Minutes - The Celtics seem to either start out fast and build an lead and then slack off and let the other team back into the game. Or, they start slow and dig a big hole and then have to play very hard to catch up and come up just short. They have to play hard from start to finish and avoid those slumps.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics have to be the more aggressive team from start to finish. Against the Pistons, they were aggressive much of the game and for some reason became passive in the 4th quarter, allowing the Pistons to get an advantage. They must be the more aggressive team in going after loose balls, in rebounding, on defense, in going hard to the hoop, and just play harder in general.
Focus - The Celtics shot just 36% against the Pistons. They aren't going to win many games shooting like that. They are capable of shooting much better but seem to lose focus. They need to regain their focus and play as a team as they did in their win streak. Move the ball, play as a team, and stay focused.
X-Factors
Focus and Fatigue Can the Celtics get back to playing team ball? Can they regain their focus and get back to what got them 5 wins in a row? The Celtics are playing on the second night of back to backs and in a tough stretch of games. They are also on the road and so fatigue may be a factor down the stretch.
Topic: Celtics (30-39) at Nets (29-39) Game #70 3/23/15 (Read 29623 times)