at
Washington Wizards (6-6) at Boston Celtics (8-7)
Friday, November 27, 2015
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #16 Home Game #10
TV: CSN-NE, Comcast Sportsnet,NBA-LP 755(DTV) /753(xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub, WNEW 99.1 FM
TD GardenProbable Starters PG: Isaiah Thomas
SG: Avery Bradley
SF: Jae Crowder
PF: Amir Johnson
C: Jared Sullinger
Celtics Reserves Evan Turner
RJ Hunter
Jonas Jerebko
David Lee
Terry Rozier
James Young
Kelly Olynyk
Jordan Mickey
Tyler Zeller
Head CoachBrad Stevens
InjuriesMarcus Smart (leg) out
Probable Starters PG: John Wall
SG: Bradley Beal
SF: Otto Porter
PF: Kris Humphries
C: Marcin Gortat
Wizards Reserves DeJuan Blair
Jared Dudley
Gary Neal
Drew Gooden
Nene
Kelly Oubre
Ramon Sessions
Garrett Temple
Head Coach Randy Wittman
Injuries Alan Anderson (ankle) out
Martell Webster (hip) out
Game NotesThis is the second of 4 meetings this season between these two teams. The Celtics won the first game on November 6 118-98. They will play two more games in Washington in January. The Wizards won the series last season 2-1.
The Celtics had lost 3 of 4 before just barely squeaking past the winless Philadelphia 76ers. The Wizards have lost their last 2 games with the latest being a 101-87 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday. They held a 9 point lead with less than 9 minutes to go in the game and then missed their final 17 shots on the way to a 6 point fourth quarter.
Both teams have been inconsistent this season. The Celtics will blow out the Nets one night and then be blown out by them two nights later. The Wizards will give up 96.5 points in their wins but then give up 116.3 points in their losses. Both teams are searching for consistency. Youth could be the Celtics excuse but I'm not sure what the Wizards excuse is.
Key Matchups vs
Isaiah Thomas vs John Wall
This will be a tough matchup for the Celtics without Marcus Smart. Wall is averaging 16.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 7.9 assists. The Celtics need Isaiah's offense, but he is going to struggle to keep Wall from having a big game.
vs
Avery Bradley vs Bradley Beal
Beal is averaging 20.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. He is shooting 42.3% from beyond the arc. Avery will have his hands full defending Beal and won't be able to switch onto Wall if Isaiah struggles to defend him.
Keys to the Game Play Strong for 48 Minutes - In some games the Celtics start strong but then struggle to make shots and turn the ball over allowing the other team to get a lead. In other games they struggle out of the gate and then spend the rest of the game trying to catch up. They need to give a consistent effort for the entire game.
Unleash the Offense - Somebody, anybody, will need to get hot. The Celtics have struggled to score in each of their losses. They have missed many shots they should have made. They shoot 58% against the Nets and then shoot 34% against the winless Sixers. It would be nice for them to get the offense back on track and start hitting shots consistently.
Defense - The Celtics need to continue to make defense a priority. Defense wins games. The Celtics allowed just 80 points to the Sixers but mostly because the Sixers couldn't hit their shots and not because the Celtics were playing great defense before the final 6 minutes. Before that game, they allowed 121 points to the Hawks and 111 to the Brooklyn Nets. They have to get back to playing team defense.
Take Care of the Ball - The Celtics are averaging 16.4 turnovers per game, which is too many. They have to focus and make sharper passes and not give the Wizards extra possessions by turning it over.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics need to be the more aggressive team from start to finish. They need to be aggressive in going to the hoop, in crashing the boards, in fighting for loose balls and in running the court. They also have to be more aggressive on defense. They have to be the team that wants it more.
X-Factors Pride - The Celtics lost to the Nets and the Hawks and came close to being the first team to lose to the Sixers in 26 straight games. They need to dig down and get back to playing Celtics basketball, especially on the defensive end.
Officiating - The officiating is always an x-factor. Even when they call the game evenly, the Celtics do better when they let them play rather than try to micromanage the game. And of course, there are always the cases where the calls all go one way or the other. The officiating shouldn't matter, but it does.