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Celtics (26-17) at Wizards (24-20) Game #44 1/24/17
« on: January 23, 2017, 10:03:11 PM »

Offline FLCeltsFan

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Boston Celtics (26-17) at Wizards (24-20)
Regular Season Game #44, Road Game #23
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
7:00 PM ET
TV: CSN-NE, Comcast Sportsnet, NBA-LP 750(DTV)/751(Xfinity)
Radio: 100.7 WZLX, WFED 1500 AM
Verizon Center




Probable Starters

Isaiah Thomas...Marcus Smart...Jae Crowder ...Al Horford...Amir Johnson

Celtics Reserves

Jaylen Brown
Tyler Zeller
Terry Rozier
Jonas Jerebko
Kelly Olynyk
Jordan Mickey
James Young

Injuries
Avery Bradley (Achilles) out
Demetrius Jackson (illness) out
Gerald Green (illness)  out

Head Coach
Brad Stevens




Probable Starters 

PG: John Wall
SG: Bradley Beal
SF: Otto Porter
PF:  Markieff Morris
C: Marcin Gortat

Wizards Reserves
Trey Burke
Danuel House Jr
Sheldon McClellan
Andrew Nicholson
Daniel Ochafu
Thomas Satoransky
Jason Smith
Marcus Thornton

Injuries
Ian Mahinmi  (knee) out
Danuel House (wrist)  out

Head Coach
Scott Brooks

Game Notes 
The Celtics are back on the road to face the Washington Wizards for the 3rd of 4 meetings this season.  The Wizards won the first meeting 118-93 in the beginning of November in Washington.  Kelly Olynyk, Al Horford and Jae Crowder all missed that game. 

The Celtics won the second match 117-108 in Boston earlier in January. That was a very contentious match that ended in fines for both Jae Crowder and John Wall after a confrontation after the game and the police stationed between the two locker rooms to fend off any other fights.  Afterwards the Wizards also accused the Celtics of playing dirty. 

With that game fresh in both teams' minds, this should be an intense matchup.  They are once again playing on the Wizards home court where the Wizards are 18-6.  The Celtics are 13-9 on the road.   The Wizards have won 5 of their last 6 games and two straight.   The Celtics have lost two straight games against slumping teams that they should have beaten. 

The Wizards are playing in the second of back to back games and had to travel after their game in Charlotte to face the Celtics at home in this one.  The Wizards beat the Hornets  but every starter played over 30 minutes in order to get the win.  The Wizards are just 2-7 in the second of back to back games.  The Celtics are playing on the first night of back to back games with the Rockets coming to Boston on Wednesday. 

The Celtics will once again be without Avery Bradley who didn't travel with the team due to the Achilles strain that has kept him out of 6 of the last 7 games.  Also staying home are Gerald Green and Demetrius Jackson who both have the illness that has been going through the team.  Tyler Zeller and Jonas Jerebko both traveled with the team and are expected to be available.  Ian Mahinmi and Daniel House are both out for the Wizards. 

Key Matchups
vs 
Isaiah Thomas vs John Wall
 Wall is averaging 23.0 points, 4.5 rebounds 10.2 assists, and 2.2 steals per game.   The Celtics need Isaiah's offense, but he is going to struggle to keep Wall from having a big game.  With Wall and Isaiah both vying for a spot on the All Star reserves,  this matchup becomes even more important.   

vs
Marcus Smart vs Bradley Beal
Bradley Beal is averaging 21.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game.   This is the second straight game where the Celtics have to deal with a high scoring back court who are tough to guard.  Marcus will need to play tough defense to help the Celtics get this game. 

Honorable Mention
Jae Crowder vs Otto Porter
Porter is averaging 14.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.  However, in the first meeting between these two teams, which Jae missed, Porter scored a career high 34 points and
14 rebounds.  He scored 20 points in the January 11 game against the Celtics.  He also leads the NBA in 3 point percentage at 45.4%.    It will be up to Jae to be sure he doesn't have another career game vs the Celtics. 

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. Having a lead against the Wizards doesn't mean a lot because the Wizards have already won 10 games in which they trailed by double digits.   In other games the Celtics struggle out of the gate and then spend the rest of the game trying to catch up.  They need to play well for the entire game and give a consistent effort throughout.   

Defense - The Celtics need to make defense a priority.   Defense wins games.   They especially need to contain the Wizards' talented back court.   They have struggled with their defense this season.     But, they have shown flashes of the tough gritty defense they played last season.  They need to get back to that and play tough team defense on a consistent basis.     

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.  Brad Stevens has implored his team to be more physical and hopefully they will respond.  They made toughness their identity last season and they have to get back to that identity to get back to winning.   

Rebound - In the first meeting between these two teams, a Celtics loss, the Celtics were out-rebounded 54-31 by the Wizards.  In the 2nd meeting, a Celtics win, the Celtics out-rebounded the Wizards 45-44.    The Celtics have to put out the extra effort to grab rebounds if they want to get a win in this game. 

Focus -  The Celtics turned the ball over 21 times in their loss to the Trailblazers.   That could be a lack of focus or frustration.  They need to take care of the ball and focus on making good passes and not give the Wizards extra possessions and fast break points by turning the ball over.  They also need to focus on playing the game the right way and taking good shots and blocking out the distractions of playing on the road. 


X-Factors

Road Game and Fatigue - The Celtics are on the road where they have played well for the most part this season.  The Wizards are playing on the second night of back to back games and had to travel after their match in Charlotte.  Fatigue could become a factor for the Wizards who played over 30 minutes the night before. 

Officiating -  Officiating is always an x-factor. How the refs call the game has a big influence on how the teams play. Will they let them play or call every little bit of contact? Will they call it evenly or will they favor one team or the other. Will they be influenced by the home crowd or will they call it fairly for both teams?  With the hostilities from the last game, they will probably call it fairly tight.  They also may feel they owe the Celtics one after missing a call that more than likely cost the Celtics the game against the Blazers.  So, the officiating may indeed be an x-factor. 

Re: Celtics (26-17) at Wizards (24-20) Game #44 1/24/17
« Reply #1 on: January 23, 2017, 10:07:18 PM »

Offline tazzmaniac

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First?

Re: Celtics (26-17) at Wizards (24-20) Game #44 1/24/17
« Reply #2 on: January 23, 2017, 10:07:26 PM »

Online jpotter33

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Got bad feeling about this game with how we've played lately. We better plan to bring it!

TP to FLCeltsFan!

Re: Celtics (26-17) at Wizards (24-20) Game #44 1/24/17
« Reply #3 on: January 23, 2017, 10:09:30 PM »

Offline saltlover

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Haven't quite decided if I'm going to this game -- anyone else on Celticsblog from DC going?

Re: Celtics (26-17) at Wizards (24-20) Game #44 1/24/17
« Reply #4 on: January 23, 2017, 10:20:19 PM »

Offline FLCeltsFan

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TP to tazzmaniac and jpotter33 for being the first to post in the game thread (just seconds apart). 

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Celtics!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Celtics (26-17) at Wizards (24-20) Game #44 1/24/17
« Reply #5 on: January 23, 2017, 10:37:48 PM »

Offline Bostoncelticsforlife7

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This'll be a tough one wizards are on a roll and we are in a slump. Hopefully we can pull out a big win
Warning: I am a Marucs Smart homer

Re: Celtics (26-17) at Wizards (24-20) Game #44 1/24/17
« Reply #6 on: January 23, 2017, 11:56:47 PM »

Offline TrueFan

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Wizards wearing all black to the game and are talking like they want to get into it with the Cs. This is going to be a real chippy game.

I was at the last game in Boston vs the Wizards and there was a lot of extra stuff going on after plays or on guys away from the ball. Beal was pretty much going at it with Smart all game.

This is going to be a serious battle and might see some real hard fouls.

Must see game tomorrow.

Re: Celtics (26-17) at Wizards (24-20) Game #44 1/24/17
« Reply #7 on: January 24, 2017, 12:27:02 AM »

Offline hwangjini_1

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Got bad feeling about this game with how we've played lately. We better plan to bring it!

TP to FLCeltsFan!
Ha. I am not sure I have ever seen you with a GOOD feeling about a game.  ;D

Nonetheless, I feel good about another game thread by flc.  Thanks and a tp flc.

Goooooooo Celtics to another winning streak!  ;D
I believe Gandhi is the only person who knew about real democracy — not democracy as the right to go and buy what you want, but democracy as the responsibility to be accountable to everyone around you. Democracy begins with freedom from hunger, freedom from unemployment, freedom from fear, and freedom from hatred.
- Vandana Shiva

Re: Celtics (26-17) at Wizards (24-20) Game #44 1/24/17
« Reply #8 on: January 24, 2017, 12:43:53 AM »

Offline KG Living Legend

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 This better be a win Lol!

Re: Celtics (26-17) at Wizards (24-20) Game #44 1/24/17
« Reply #9 on: January 24, 2017, 01:30:43 AM »

Online jpotter33

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Got bad feeling about this game with how we've played lately. We better plan to bring it!

TP to FLCeltsFan!
Ha. I am not sure I have ever seen you with a GOOD feeling about a game.  ;D

Nonetheless, I feel good about another game thread by flc.  Thanks and a tp flc.

Goooooooo Celtics to another winning streak!  ;D

Hey now, before this season I was one of the more optimistic posters on here!  :P

Then again, the last several years our team was ALWAYS a fun team to watch with how we played. I know the league is changing and I'm lagging a bit behind, but this whole notion of simply trying to outscore opponents without giving much defensive effort is just not an appealing form of basketball for me.

Re: Celtics (26-17) at Wizards (24-20) Game #44 1/24/17
« Reply #10 on: January 24, 2017, 06:36:21 AM »

Offline hwangjini_1

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Got bad feeling about this game with how we've played lately. We better plan to bring it!

TP to FLCeltsFan!
Ha. I am not sure I have ever seen you with a GOOD feeling about a game.  ;D

Nonetheless, I feel good about another game thread by flc.  Thanks and a tp flc.

Goooooooo Celtics to another winning streak!  ;D

Hey now, before this season I was one of the more optimistic posters on here!  :P

Then again, the last several years our team was ALWAYS a fun team to watch with how we played. I know the league is changing and I'm lagging a bit behind, but this whole notion of simply trying to outscore opponents without giving much defensive effort is just not an appealing form of basketball for me.
Well then, a tp to you for being positive!

And of course... gooooooooooo Celtics! ;D
I believe Gandhi is the only person who knew about real democracy — not democracy as the right to go and buy what you want, but democracy as the responsibility to be accountable to everyone around you. Democracy begins with freedom from hunger, freedom from unemployment, freedom from fear, and freedom from hatred.
- Vandana Shiva

Re: Celtics (26-17) at Wizards (24-20) Game #44 1/24/17
« Reply #11 on: January 24, 2017, 06:40:46 AM »

Offline trickybilly

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Really hoping our defensive intensity is on in the first half. Aaaaaand, want to see Jaylen play aggressive on that end too
"Gimme the ball, gimme the ball". Freddy Quimby, 1994.

Re: Celtics (26-17) at Wizards (24-20) Game #44 1/24/17
« Reply #12 on: January 24, 2017, 06:56:18 AM »

Offline bopna

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We are again set up to fail in this game.

3 days rest....we are historically bad on 3 days rest
Wizards on a back to back but are at home..we are not a very good away team when our starting five is not complete.

Iexpect a very lackluster 1st qtr...come back a bit in the middle qtrs but will fall short because...well we couldnt get a freakin rebound
IT with 35 points on this one with 12 in the final frame
Horford with 15 pts
Jae with 14 but again 12 coming in the first qtr
Smart with 20 points if he uses his strength..the low post but if he insists on playing the perimeter game..i can only see him with 8 points.
KO being now back to his normal sensation soft self....8 pts with 5 boards.

Yup we lose this one by 6....book it.

Re: Celtics (26-17) at Wizards (24-20) Game #44 1/24/17
« Reply #13 on: January 24, 2017, 07:33:05 AM »

Offline BE-Celtic

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Wizards gonna play in black to host the C's for our "Funeral" :D

Looks like the little fight initiated between Jae Crowder and John Wall is still fresh in the minds. Expect a physical game.

But this should be a win, no excuse : Wizards on back to back and C's on a bad streak... Toronto is not far if we take this kind of games !

Re: Celtics (26-17) at Wizards (24-20) Game #44 1/24/17
« Reply #14 on: January 24, 2017, 07:38:36 AM »

Offline LGC88

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I predict a win.
Celtics are hungry, they have a point to prove after the last 2 lost.

Personally, I don't like what Washington is trying to do by setting some sort of rivalry.
C'mon, those 2 teams never won anything or never play in the playoff together those last few years, there's nothing to talk about here. We should crush them to make a point and move on.