at
Utah Jazz (28-30) at Boston Celtics (35-25)
Monday, February 29, 2016
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #61 Home Game #30
TV: CSN-NE, ROOT, NBA-LP 752(DTV), 752(Xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, KZNS,Sirius 216
TD Garden
Probable Starters 
PG: Isaiah Thomas
SG: Avery Bradley
SF: Jae Crowder
PF: Amir Johnson
C: Jared Sullinger
Celtics ReservesEvan Turner
RJ Hunter
Jonas Jerebko
Terry Rozier
James Young
Tyler Zeller
Marcus Smart
Jordan Mickey
Head CoachBrad Stevens
InjuriesKelly Olynyk (shoulder) out
Avery Bradley (knee/ankle) day to day
Isaiah Thomas (wrist) expected to play
Marcus Smart (thumb) expected to play
Jonas Jerebko (ankle) expected to play
Probable Starters 
PG: Shelvin Mack
SG: Rodney Hood
SF: Gordon Hayward
PF: Derrick Favors
C: Rudy Gobert
Jazz Reserves Trevor Booker
Trey Burke
Joe Ingles
Trey Lyles
Tibor Pleiss
Jeff Withey
Raul Neto
Injuries Chris Johnson (toe) game time decision
Alec Burks (leg) out
Dante Exum (knee) out
Head CoachQuin Snyder
Game NotesThe Celtics continue their homestand as they look to even the series with the Utah Jazz. The Celtics played the Jazz on the road in the first game after the All Star break. The Jazz embarrassed the Celtics with a 111-93 loss. The Celtics have won 3 of 4 games since that game but avenging that 18 point loss is certainly still on their minds.
The Celtics are 19-10 at home and have won 10 straight at the Garden. The Jazz are 9-18 on the road and are 5-5 in their last 10 games. The Celtics are looking for their 3rd straight win while the Jazz are looking to get back on track after losing their last two games. The Celtics won the series 2-0 last season. The Jazz are coming off a loss to the Nets and so the Celtics definitely owe them a beat down not only for the loss in Utah, but for giving the Nets another win as well.
The Jazz start Shelvin Mack and Gordon Hayward who both played for Brad Stevens at Butler. Alec Burke (fibula) and Dante Exum (ACL) are both out for the Jazz. Kelly Olynyk is improving, but still out with the shoulder injury. Avery Bradley was already playing with a sore knee and he rolled his ankle in the Celtics game against the Heat. He is listed as day to day. Marcus Smart (thumb), Isaiah Thomas (wrist) and Jonas Jerebko (ankle) have all been playing with various injuries and are expected to play.
With their win on Saturday, the Celtics moved 2 games ahead of the Heat for the 3rd spot in the East. The Heat beat the Knicks on Sunday to move 1.5 games behind the Celtics. They are also 2 games ahead of the Hawks who are 5th. They are 3.5 games ahead of Indiana who are currently 6th. The Celtics are 5 games behind the Raptors for the 2nd spot. Utah is 1/2 a game out of the 8th spot in the West.
The Celtics got some breathing room with their win over the Heat, but they have to win this one in order to keep it. The Heat just signed Joe Johnson and may get Chris Bosh back and so will be tough to keep up with. The Celtics need to win the games they should. The Jazz are fighting to make the playoffs and so will be playing hard and the Celtics need to be ready for it.
Key Matchups 
vs
Jae Crowder vs Gordon Hayward
Brad Stevens' former Butler player, Gordon Hayward is leading the Jazz with 20 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists. In their first meeting, Hayward put up 22 points. Jae should be energized to get the win in this one and keep Hayward from having another big game. If Jae can slow Hayward down, it will give the Celtics a good chance to grab a win in this one.
vs
Amir Johnson vs Derrick Favors
Favors is averaging 16.9 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. In the first game between these teams, Favors was a beast with 23 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 blocks. The Celtics must find a way to slow him down in this one if they want to get a win.
Honorable Mention Jared Sullinger vs Rudy Gobert
Gobert is averaging 10.2 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks. In the first game he finished with 11 points, 15 rebounds and 4 blocks. Jared needs to draw him away from the basket and use that bulk of his to keep Gobert out of the paint and away from his comfort zone.
Keys to the Game Rebound - Much of rebounding is effort and when the Celtics put out that effort on the boards, we see it in the other areas of the game. The Celtics are averaging 44.9 rebounds per game while the Jazz are averaging 42.7 rebounds per game. In their first meeting, the Celtics were out-rebounded 51-34. They can't win if they give the opponent that many extra possessions. The Celtics need to box out and put out the effort to win the battle of the boards.
Take Care of the Ball - The Celtics have to take care of the ball, make smart passes, and limit their turnovers. The Jazz average 16.1 points off of turnovers and the Celtics don't want to give them extra points by getting careless with the ball. The Celtics can't lose focus and give the Jazz a chance to get easy points.
Play 48 Minutes - The Celtics can't afford to dig a hole at the beginning of the game and they can't let up at the end and lose focus and miss shots and allow the Jazz to score. They also can't afford those periods in the game where they turn the ball over and lose their focus. They have to play hard from the opening tip to the final buzzer.
Defense - Defense is the key to winning each and every game. The Celtics must play the swarming team defense that they have tried to make their priority this season. The Jazz are a very good defensive team, allowing just 97.1 points per game, good for 2nd in the league. The Celtics have let their defense slip and are not 13th in the league, allowing 102 points per game. Defense wins games and the Celtics must get back to playing that tough swarming TEAM defense that was their trademark earlier in the season.
Play as a Team - Before the trade deadline, Jae had this to say about the Celtics' need for a superstar player: “All 5 guys on the court are so locked in, so engaged that we’re 1 superstar.” The Celtics strength is their ability to play as a team and to work together. They have to move the ball and find the open man and not lapse into hero ball. If they stay together and play as one, they can pretty much beat any team.
Go to the Hoop - The Celtics are 5th in the league in points in the paint with 45.1. The Jazz are averaging 41.4 points in the paint. However, the Celtics were outscored in the paint by the Jazz 44-30 in their first meeting. The Celtics have to go to the hoop and not settle for outside shots, especially if they aren't falling.
X-Factors Revenge Factor - The Celtics should be focused and ready to avenge the loss against the Jazz after the All Star break. They need to watch film and find what they did wrong and correct it in this game. The Celtics need to come out focused and start strong and play hard throughout the game.
Officiating Factor - The officiating is an x factor for every game. Every officiating crew calls games differently. Some call every little foul making it difficult to get any rhythm and some let the teams play. Some refs have an agenda and call the game for or against a particular team or player or to favor the home team. And there are always star calls no matter who the referees are. Regardless of how the game is called, the Celtics need to play through it and keep their focus.
Topic: Jazz (28-30) at Celtics (35-25) Game #61 2/29/16 (Read 44386 times)