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Toronto Raptors (48-32) at Boston Celtics (38-42)
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #81, Home Game #41
TV: CSNNE, TSN, NBA-LP 750 (DTV)/751, 752(xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub, Sportsnet 590
TD Garden
Marcus Smart...Avery Bradley...Evan Turner...Brandon Bass...Tyler Zeller
Celtics ReservesGerald Wallace
Jae Crowder
James Young
Phil Pressey
Chris Babb
Isaiah Thomas
Jonas Jerebko
Gigi Datome
Kelly Olynyk
Jared Sullinger
InjuriesNone
Head CoachBrad Stevens
Kyle Lowry...DeMar DeRozan...Terrence Ross...Tyler Hansbrough...Jonas Valanciunas
Raptors Reserves Bruno Caboclo
Landry Fields
Chuck Hayes
James Johnson
Lucas Nogueira
Patrick Patterson
Greg Stiemsma
Lou Williams
InjuriesAmir Johnson (ankle) questionable
Game Notes The Celtics host the Raptors in their last home game of the regular season. This is the 4th and final meeting between these two division rivals this season. The Raptors lead the series 2-1, winning one game in Boston in November and one in Toronto in January. The Celtics won their last meeting in Toronto on April 4.
The Raptors seemed to have that one won as they led by 1 point with just 2.6 seconds left but Marcus Smart hit the game winner at the buzzer to give the Celtics a 117-116 win. Toronto fans called foul, saying that the time keeper didn't start the clock on time, but the Celtics came away with the win. So, the Raptors have a very good reason to want to win this game.
They also have other motivation to want this game. They are still fighting for playoff positioning. They clinched home court in the first round regardless of their opponent. They are in the 4th spot, half a game behind the Bulls. If they remain the 4th seed, they would play the Wizards but if they move up to the 3rd spot, they would face the Bucks.
The Raptors are on the last game of a 4 game road trip. They are 3-0 on the trip so far, having beaten the Hornets, Magic, and Heat so far on the trip. They have a chance to go 4-0 on a road trip for the first time in franchise history. Also, a win in this game would set a new franchise record for wins in a season.
The Celtics have clinched the playoffs by virtue of the Bulls beating the Nets on Monday night. So, whether they win or lose this game, the Celtics will be in the playoffs. Their positioning is still in question, however. They are one game ahead of Indiana, who slipped into the 8th spot by half a games. Winning should keep them in the 7th spot. A couple of losses combined with an Indiana win would drop them to the 8th spot.
They are in the playoffs regardless of the outcome of this game. Even though the Hawks might be a more attractive matchup for the Celtics, since they have beaten them once already, Brad Stevens will want to win both games to go into the playoffs with confidence and on a winning note.
Key Matchups vs
Avery Bradley vs DeMar DeRozan
DeRozan is capable of putting up a lot of points in a short time as they found out last game. DeRozan finished that game with 38 points. He is averaging 20.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.2 steals. Avery will need to work on defense to keep him from having a big game.
vs
Marcus Smart vs Kyle Lowry
Smart has been compared to Lowry more than once and both are tough defensive point guards. Lowry is averaging 17.7 points, 6.8 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game. Marcus needs to play tough defense to keep the Raptors from getting into their sets quickly and to keep Lowry from having a big game.
Honorable MentionIsaiah Thomas vs Lou Williams
Williams is the Raptors' offensive threat off the bench and is capable of putting up a lot of points in a hurry as evidenced by his 27 points in their last game vs the Celtics. Isaiah Thomas can do the same for the Celtics and hopefully he has a better night than Williams. Both are in the discussion for 6th man of the year and their head to head matchup may garner one or the other some votes. Williams is averaging 15.5 points, 2.0 assists and 1.5 rebounds per game.
Keys to the GameDefenseDefense has always been and always will be the key to winning. The Celtics defense was exceptional against the Cavs in the last game. When they play tough defense it also brings more energy to their offense. The Raptors are 4th in the league in scoring at 104.3 points per game so it will be very important to bring tough defense right from the start and keep it up throughout the game.
Be AggressiveThe Celtics must be aggressive on defense, in going after loose balls, in crashing the boards, and just all around going all out. They have to aggressively attack the basket. They need to start the game with that aggressive attitude and be aggressive through the whole game with no let up.
ReboundThe Celtics must crash the boards. They can't score if they don't have the ball. Much of rebounding is effort and desire. The Celtics have to be the team that puts out more effort from every player to go after rebounds.
Run and Move the Ball The Celtics need to run on every possession and get up the court before the defenses get set up. When the Celtics slow down, they don't play very well and so they need to run throughout the game. They also have to move the ball and find the open man. When they over-dribble and slow it down, their offense gets stagnant. The Celtics must run and keep the ball moving.
Start Strong - The Raptors are 29-7 when they lead after the first quarter. The Celtics need to get off to a strong start and then keep playing hard through the final buzzer. Brad Stevens called their game against the Cavs a complete game and they need another game like that to get a win in this one.
X-Factors
Home Game and Motivation This is the Celtics final home game of the regular season and the crowd will be very excited knowing that they will have playoff basketball this year. The crowd should give the team an extra boost. The Celtics should be motivated to close out the season strong and to enter the playoffs on a high note, but then again, they may be motivated to miss the Cavs in the first round.
Topic: Raptors (48-32) at Celtics (38-42) Game #81 4/14/15 (Read 54960 times)