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Boston Celtics (42-30) at Phoenix Suns (20-51)
Saturday, March 26, 2016
10:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #73, Road Game #36
TV: CSNNE, FSAZ, NBA-LP 763(DTV)/752(Xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, AZ Sports 98.7,Sirius 217
US Airways Center
Probable Starters
PG Isaiah Thomas....... SG: Avery Bradley
C: Jared Sullinger
SF: Evan Turner....... PF: Amir Johnson
Celtics ReservesRJ Hunter
Jonas Jerebko
David Lee
Jordan Mickey
Terry Rozier
James Young
Tyler Zeller
Kelly Olynyk
Marcus Smart
Head CoachBrad Stevens
InjuriesJae Crowder (ankle) out
Terry Rozier (illness) day to day
Avery Bradley (illness) questionable
Probable Starters 
PG: Brandon Knight .......... SG: Devin Booker
C: Alex Len
SF: PJ Tucker ........... PF: John Leuer
Suns Reserves Markieff Morris
Mirza Teletovic
TJ Warren
Ronnie Price
Chase Budinger
John Jenkins
Alan Williams
Archie Goodwin
Injuries Tyson Chandler (back) questionable
TJ Warren (foot) out
Eric Bledsoe (knee) out
Head Coach Earl Watson
Game Notes The Celtics begin their 5 game Western road trip with a stop in Phoenix for the second and final meeting between these two teams. The Celtics won the first meeting in January 117-103. Phoenix has won 7 of their last 12 games against the Celtics. Game 5 of the 1976 Finals will forever link these two teams as the Celtics won a classic game 128-126 in triple overtime.
The Celtics begin their road trip with 3 straight wins behind them after losing the previous 4 games. Both teams are 5-5 in their last 10 games. The Suns are playing in the second of back to back games and are 4-9 this season when playing the back end of back to back games. The Suns are 13-23 at home while the Celtics are 17-18 on the road.
For the Celtics, Avery Bradley was too ill to travel with the Celtics when they went traveled to Phoenix and is questionable for this game. If he can't play, Marcus Smart or Terry Rozier will more than likely get the start in his place. Terry Rozier left Wednesday's game vs the Raptors and part of Friday's practice with an illness and is day to day. Jae Crowder traveled with the team and is expected to play at some time on the road trip but is out for this game. For the Suns, Tyson Chandler is questionable with back spasms. Eric Bledsoe (knee) and TJ Warren (foot) are out.
The Celtics are in 4th place 1/2 game behind Atlanta (3rd) and tied with Miami (5th) but they own the tie breaker between them. They are 1 game ahead of Charlotte (6th). Phoenix is tied with Brooklyn for the 3rd worst record in the league. The Celtics need a win for their own seeding but a loss would improve their draft chances. Other games to watch: ATL @ DET and CHA @ MIL.
Key Matchups vs
Isaiah Thomas vs Brandon Knight
Knight is averaging 19.4 points, 5.2 assists and 1.2 steals. Isaiah has been playing at an All Star level throughout March and should be motivated to play well against the team that gave up on him and then traded him for next to nothing to the Celtics.
vs
Avery Bradley vs Devon Booker
As stated above, Avery was ill and didn't travel with the team and is questionable for this game so this matchup may be Rozier or Smart vs Booker, who is playing well for the Suns. Booker is averaging 12.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. In March, Booker is 2nd among all rookies with 21.9 points per game. He has had 4 30+ point games.
Honorable Mention Jared Sullinger vs Alex Len
Len is averaging 8.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 0.9 blocks. However, since the All Star break, he has averaged 14.8 points and 11.2 rebounds.
Keys to the Game Play 48 Minutes - The Celtics need to keep their focus and intensity for 48 minutes. Against some teams they have gotten off to a fast start only to collapse at the end. Some games they have fallen behind and then mount a comeback in the second half only to fall short. This often happens against teams that they should easily beat. They have to play hard and stay focused from the opening tip to the final buzzer regardless of the Suns record.
Defense - Defense is always a key to winning. The Celtics amped up their defense against the Raptors and it led to a win. They need to continue to make defense a priority if they want to continue to win. You can't win without defense. The Celtics let their defense slip from top 5 to 13th, allowing 102 points per game. The Suns allow 107.6 points per game (29th). The Celtics need to play the kind of defense they are capable of playing to get a win.
Rebound - The Celtics need to rebound on the offensive end to give themselves extra possessions and to prevent the Suns from racking up fast break points. They also have to crash the boards on the defensive end to prevent the Suns from getting tip ins and second chance points as they average 13.2 2nd chance points per game.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics have to be the more aggressive team in going after loose balls and rebounds, in defending, in going to the basket. They tend to back off and be less aggressive when they face teams that are missing players or teams they expect to beat easily and they end up losing. They can't let the fact that Phoenix is in the lottery keep them from playing all out.
Focus - The Celtics need to stay focused especially on the offensive end. They can't let all the distractions of the hostile crowd, the jet lag, the strange arena, etc shake their focus. They must keep their focus on moving the ball, finding the open man, running on every possession and not let being on the road shake what they are capable of.
X-Factors Isaiah Factor - Although Isaiah said there were no bad feelings after the trade, every player wants to get a win over their former team. Hopefully he won't try too hard and lapse into hero ball. He needs to play within the team concept and not worry about showing the Suns what they are missing.
Depleted Team Factor - Too often when the Celtics face a weaker team or a team that is missing key players they come out flat and fail to play with energy. We have seen this against the Lakers, and the Nets and other teams that were less than full strength. They have to play just as hard against the Suns as they would the Warriors. Also, with Jae already out, if either Terry Rozier or Avery Bradley can't play, the Celtics will be depleted and will need others to step up big time.
Officiating Factor - As I have said every game, officiating is always an x-factor. Will the refs let them play or call every little ticky tack foul? Will they call it even or favor one of the teams? Will they even be competent in making the calls? Will they continue to dog Marcus Smart? Will the home team get the advantage? The officiating is always like Forrest Gump's box of candy. You never know what you are going to get.
Topic: Celtics (42-30) at Suns (20-51) Game #73 3/26/16 (Read 26015 times)