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Boston Celtics (24-21) at Wizards (20-21)
Regular Season Game #46, Road Game #24
Monday, January 25, 2016
7:00 PM ET
TV: CSN-NE, Comcast Sportsnet, NBA-LP 750(DTV)/751(Xfinity)
Radio: WZLX 100.7, WNEW 99.1 FM
Verizon Center
Probable 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
Marcus Smart
Head CoachBrad Stevens
InjuriesJordan Mickey (ankle) out
Probable Starters 
PG: John Wall
SG: Bradley Beal
SF: Kelly Oubre
PF: Jared Dudley
C: Marcin Gortat
Wizards Reserves DeJuan Blair
Drew Gooden
Ramon Sessions
Garrett Temple
Jarell Eddie
Gary Neal
Garrett Temple
Head Coach Randy Wittman
Injuries Alan Anderson (ankle) out
Kris Humphries (knee) day to day
Otto Porter (hip) probable
Drew Gooden (calf) probable
Game Notes The Celtics travel to Washington DC to take on the Wizards for the 4th and final time this season. The Celtics lead the season series 3-0 so far. They won both of the games in Boston and then pulled out a close win in Washington on January 16.
That game got a bit chippy with the game going down to the wire. Jae Crowder was given a technical for responding to taunts from the Wizards head coach. Jae contended that Wittman was cursing at him and saying inappropriate things, which Wittman later denied doing. Jae then hit the game winning layup with 3.9 seconds left with John Wall missing a layup at the buzzer to seal the win for the Celtics.
The Celtics are playing in the second of back to back games thanks to the snowstorm that postponed their game against the Sixers until Sunday. The Celtics are 7-3 overall on the second night of back to back games and 2-0 in road/road back to back sets. The Celtics are 12-11 on the road while the Wizards have struggled at home with a 10-13 record. The Wizards are well rested and have not played since Wednesday since their Saturday game was postponed due to weather.
With the win in Philadelphia, the Celtics have moved all the way up to the 5th spot in the East. This win moves them half a game ahead of Indiana, Detroit and Miami, who are all tied record wise and sit in 6th, 7th and 8th place in the East. The Wizards sit in 9th place 2 games behind the Celtics. The Celtics are 2 games behind Atlanta, who are in the 4th spot.
The Celtics are pretty much healthy with just Jordan Mickey out with an ankle injury. The Wizards are about to get healthier with Drew Gooden (calf) and Otto Porter (hip) both expected to return for this game. Kris Humphries (knee) is considered day to day and Alan Anderson is out with an ankle injury.
Key Matchups vs
Isaiah Thomas vs John Wall
Wall is averaging 20.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 9.7 assists. The Celtics need Isaiah's offense, but he is going to struggle to keep Wall from having a big game. Expect to see Bradley or Smart on Wall if he starts to go off.
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Avery Bradley vs Bradley Beal
Bradley Beal missed 16 games with a stress reaction in his leg. He is shooting 52% from the field and 53% from beyond the arc in the 4 games since his return from the injury. Beal is averaging 19.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists for the year. Beal may come off the bench again or he may return to the starting lineup but the matchup will be Bradley vs Beal, even if Garrett Temple starts.
Honorable MentionJared Sullinger vs Marcin Gortat
Gortat always seems to play well against the Celtics. He is averaging 13.6 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. He is strong and can alter shots around the basket. He can also get rebounds and putbacks if not boxed out.
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 as they did against the Sixers.
Defense - The Celtics need to continue to make defense a priority. Defense wins games. They especially need to contain the Wizards' talented back court. Their defense looked better against the Bulls and they need to continue to play tough team defense.
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.
Play as a Team - The Celtics need to play team ball. They have to move the ball and find the open man with the best shot. When they lapse into hero ball where each player tries to make the home run play, they usually struggle. They play the best when they are moving the ball and racking up assists and playing as a team.
X-Factors Back to Back - The Celtics have made it a point of pride to play their best on the second night of back to back games. Hopefully they continue that in this game. There are extenuating circumstances for the Celtics also. Their game on Sunday had been postponed from Saturday due to the storm and they had to travel on game day for Sunday's game and then turn around and travel to this game.
Revenge Factor - The Celtics have beaten the Wizards 184 times out of the 293 that they have faced each other. And the Celtics wins have more often than not been blowouts. Add that to the altercations in their last game 9 days ago and their coach denying Crowder's accusations, and the Wizards are a team looking for revenge. They will be motivated and the Celtics need to be equally motivated to play better.
Officiating - Officiating will be an X-Factor for every game. Every crew has their own way of calling the games and they have their own agendas. Will they call it fairly or in favor of one team or the other? Will they let them play or call every little contact? The way the game is called always has an effect on the players.
Topic: Celtics (24-21) at Wizards (20-21) Game #46 1/25/16 (Read 34979 times)