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Boston Celtics (23-21) at Philadelphia 76ers (6-38)
Regular Season Game #45, Road Game #23
Sunday, January 24, 2016
7:00 PM ET
TV: CSNNE, CSN-PHI, NBA-LP ?(DTV)/757 (Xfinity)
Radio: WZLX 100.7, 97.5 The Fanatic
Wells Fargo Center
Probable Starters 
PG Isaiah Thomas....... SG: Avery Bradley
C: Jared Sullinger 
SF: Jae Crowder .............. PF: Amir Johnson
Celtics ReservesEvan Turner
RJ Hunter
Jonas Jerebko
Tyler Zeller
Jordan Mickey
Terry Rozier
James Young
David Lee
Kelly Olynyk
Marcus Smart
Head CoachBrad Stevens
InjuriesJae Crowder (flu) probable
Probable Starters 
PG: Ish Smith................. SG: JaKarr Sampson
C: Jahlil Okafor
SF: Robert Covington.............. PF: Nerlens Noel
Sixers Reserves Isaiah Canaan
Richuan Holmes
Christian Wood
Hollis Thompson
TJ McConnell
Jerami Grant
Tony Wroten
Carl Landry
Kendall Marshall
Head Coach Brett Brown
Injuries Joel Embiid (foot) out
Elton Brand (conditioning) questionable
Nik Stauskas (shoulder) questionable
Nerlens Noel (migraines) probable
JaKarr Sampson (hip) probable
Game NotesThe Celtics travel to Philadelphia to face the last place 76ers. This game was originally scheduled for Saturday night but was postponed until Sunday because of the inclement weather from Winter Storm Jonas. The Celtics were on standby to travel and expected to travel to Philly on Sunday morning before the game.
This is the third of 4 games this season. The Celtics won both of the previous games this season, both of which were in Boston. They will meet one more time on 3/20 in Philadelphia to complete the season series. While this may look like an easy win, you never can depend on that with these Celtics. In the second game in Boston, the Sixers were up by 7 with just 4 minutes to play and the Celtics somehow held the Sixers scoreless for the last 3 minutes to get an 84-80 win.
The Sixers are coming off a 96-87 win over the Orlando Magic and given that they took the Celtics down to the wire in their last meeting, they will have their confidence about as high as it could be for a 6 win team. They have been playing much better since bringing in Ish Smith to man the point. The Sixers are 3-16 at home while the Celtics are 11-11 on the road.
The Celtics are playing in the first of back to back games with a trip to Washington to face the Wizards coming up for Monday. The Sixers have been off since Wednesday and don't play again until Tuesday so fatigue won't be a problem for them. The Celtics are 1-1 in the first game of a road/road back to back and 2-0 in the second game.
Joel Embiid, who has yet to play for the Sixers, will be out once again. Nik Stauskas practiced on Saturday but struggled and is not expected to play in this game. Nerlens Noel (migraine) and JaKarr Sampson (hip) left Wednesday's game vs the Magic but are expected to be ready to play in this game. Jae Crowder played in Friday's win over the Bulls in spite of suffering with flu like symptoms. He missed Saturday's practice but will travel with the team and is expected to play.
Evan Turner is returning to Philly to play the team that drafted him second overall in the 2010 draft. He played for the Sixers from 2010 to 2014 and was much maligned there for never living up to the expectations they had for a number 2 pick.
Key Matchups 
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Amir Johnson vs Nerlens Noel and Jared Sullinger vs Jahlil Okafor
The Sixers strength is in their young center and power forward. Noel led all rookies in rebounding (8.1), steals (1.77) and blocks (1.89) last season. The only other rookie to average more than 1.5 blocks and 1.5 steals was David Robinson. He is averaging 10.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.6 blocks per game. He could be a tough matchup for the Celtics. Jahlil Okafor was the 3rd pick in this year's draft and is athletic and talented and will also test the Celtics interior defense. Okafor is averaging 17.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game.
Honorable Mention Isaiah Thomas vs Ish Smith
The Sixers have been playing much better since signing Ish Smith to play point guard. Smith is listed at 6'0" and, like Thomas, is a spark plug on the court. Smith is averaging 11.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. He is coming off a 13 point, 11 assist game in the win over Orlando on Wednesday.
Keys to the GameDefense - The Celtic have struggled with their defense recently but played good defense, especially down the stretch in their win over the Bulls. They have been especially good in forcing turnovers and need to bring a tough defensive mindset to this game. Defense wins games.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics have to be the more aggressive team and go after all the loose balls, and aggressively go after rebounds, and be aggressive on defense. They also have to be aggressive in taking the ball into the paint. The more aggressive team will usually get the benefit of the whistles. When they are the more aggressive team, they are tough to beat.
Move the Ball - The Celtics have shown beautiful ball movement at times and they have been able to make the extra pass and find the open man to get the best shot. But at times, their assist levels have dropped and they play more one on one and take quick shots. Hero ball rarely wins games. The Celtics need to continue playing as a team and keep the ball moving.
Run- The Celtics need to use their depth to run on every possession. They can get easy baskets if they beat their opponents up the floor. They can also set their defense if they can beat opponents back on the other end.
Focus - The Celtics need to make their shots. It is a mystery how a team can shoot 58% in one game and then be unable to hit a shot in the next game. The past few games, their offense has been pretty much on track and they need to continue to hit their shots. They also need to keep their focus and not play down to the Sixers. They lost to the Lakers and Nets, two teams they should have beaten, because they didn't stay focused.
X-Factors Extenuating Circumstances - This game was supposed to be played on Saturday but was postponed until Sunday. The Celtics practiced on Saturday but then were on standby, not knowing when or if they would be cleared to travel. They will probably be traveling the morning of the game and that is sure to throw them off a bit.
Officiating - Officiating will always be an x-factor. Some crews call every little bit of contact that takes the flow out of the game. Some crews let them play. Some refs have an agenda against a team, a coach or a player. All of these things can alter the way a game is played and the ability of a team to play well.
Topic: Celtics (23-21) at Sixers (6-38) Game #45 1/24/16 (Read 26228 times)