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Toronto Raptors (30-19) at Boston Celtics (30-18)
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #49 Home Game #135
TV: CSNNE, Sportsnet One, NBA-LP 752(DTV), 752(xfinity)
Radio: 100.7 WZLX, TSN Radio 1050
TD Garden 
Probable Starters 
Isaiah Thomas...Jaylen Brown...Jae Crowder ...Jonas Jerebko...Al Horford
Celtics ReservesMarcus Smart
Gerald Green
Terry Rozier
James Young
Amir Johnson
Tyler Zeller
Kelly Olynyk
Demetrius Jackson
Jordan Mickey
InjuriesAvery Bradley (Achilles) Game Time Decision
Head CoachBrad Stevens
Probable Starters 
Kyle Lowry...Norman Powell...DeMarre Carroll...Patrick Patterson...Jonas Valanciunas
Raptors Reserves Bruno Caboclo
Cory Joseph
Lucas Nogueira
Pascal Siakam
Jakob Poeltl
Terrence Ross
Fred VanVleet
Jared Sullinger
Delon Wright
Injuries DeMar DeRozan (ankle) out
Head Coach Dwayne Casey
Game Notes The Celtics host the division rival Toronto Raptors for the 3rd of 4 meetings this season. The Raptors are 2-0 so far winning 114-106 in Toronto on 1/10 and 101-94 in Boston on 12/9. They will meet one more time in Toronto on February 24. The Raptors are 4-6 in their last 10 games while the Celtics are 7-3 in their last 10. The Celtics are 16-8 at home while the Raptors are 13-10 on the road.
This game is the biggest for the Celtics so far this season with a lot on the line for both teams. The Celtics are second in the East, .5 game ahead of the Raptors. If the Celtics win this it will move them 1.5 games ahead of the Raptors for 2nd in the East and the Atlantic Division lead. If the Raptors lead, they will move back in to second place with a .5 game lead. The big prize is that the team in second place on February 5 will send their coaches to the All Star game.
The Celtics have yet to play the Raptors and their All Star back court with their own back court in place. Isaiah Thomas missed the December 9 game while Avery Bradley missed the January 10 game. They are a tough matchup even with both of the Celtics back court starters playing but with one out, it makes it very tough to match up with them.
The Celtics may have gotten a break with this game. DeMar DeRozan, who scored 41 pooints in the 1/10 game, is expected to miss this game with an ankle injury. The Raptors are also playing on the second night of back to back games, winning a squeaker in overtime against the Pelicans on Tuesday night. The Raptors are 3-6 on the second night of back to back games.
Former Celtic, Jared Sullinger missed the first two games between these two teams with a foot injury and was recently cleared to play.He is averaging 4.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, and shooting 25.8%. Saturday he was sent to the Raptors D-League team to try to get back in shape. He was a DNP-CD in Tuesday's game against the Pelicans.
Avery Bradley was able to practice with the Celtics on Tuesday after missing most of the month of January with an Achilles injury. He said he felt good after practice and was going to return on Tuesday night for a second workout. If all goes well with that, he is expected to participate in the shoot around on Wednesday and will be a game time decision for this game. It would be big for the Celtics if they can get him back for this game.
The Celtics may start the same lineup that has been successful in their 4 game win streak, or if Avery Bradley is able to play, he could slip back into the starting lineup, sending Jaylen back to the bench. Also, Amir Johnson may remain on the bench with Jonas Jerebko remaining in the starting lineup, or they may go back to the Amir-Horford front court. Brad Stevens has said that he will change the starters depending on the matchups, so it's tough to predict who will be starting.
Key Matchups vs
Isaiah Thomas vs Kyle Lowry
Lowry has given the Celtics problems in the past and he is playing very well so far this year, averaging 22.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game. With DeRozan expected to be out, Lowry has to be the Celtics focus on defense. Whether it is Avery, Marcus, Jaylen or Jae on him, they have to play tough defense and keep him from having a big game.
vs
Al Horford vs Jonas Valanciunas
It will be key to keep Valanciunas off the boards. In the January 10 game, Valanciunas had 11 of the Raptors' 17 offensive rebounds that led to second chance points for the Raptors. Valanciunas is averaging 11.8 points, 10.1 rebounds and 0.8 blocks.
Honorable Mention Bench vs Bench
The Raptors have a good bench and they get considerable production from their reserves. The Celtics reserves have been playing very well and they will need another good game from them against the Raptors.
Keys to the Game
DefenseDefense has always been and always will be the key to winning. The Celtics have finally been showing some tough defense over their 4 game win streak. Although they have had some stretches of the games where they let their defense slip, they have been able to get stops down the stretch when they needed them. Hopefully they will keep that defensive mindset in this game as well. They need to play particularly tough defense against the Raptors since they are capable of putting up a lot of points in a hurry. The Raptors are 5th in the league, averaging 109.6 points per game. DeRozan being out will certainly be a help, but still, the Celtics will need to bring their defensive intensity in order to get a win in this game.
Be AggressiveThe Celtics must be aggressive on defense, in going after loose balls, in crashing the boards, and just all around going all out. They have to aggressively attack the basket. They need to start the game with that aggressive attitude and be aggressive through the whole game with no let up.
ReboundThe Celtics must crash the boards. They can't score if they don't have the ball. Much of rebounding is effort and desire. The Celtics have to be the team that puts out more effort from every player to go after rebounds. In the January 10 game, the Celtics were out-rebounded 50-33 and that can't happen again if the Celtics expect to get a win in this game.
Run and Move the BallThe Celtics need to run on every possession and get up the court before the defenses get set up. When the Celtics slow down, their offense gets sluggish so they need to run throughout the game. They also have to move the ball and find the open man. The Celtics need to keep the ball moving and not lapse into hero ball. With the Raptors playing an OT game on Tuesday and having to travel after the game, if the Celtics keep running, they could wear out down the stretch.
X-Factors
Fatigue - The Raptors are playing on the second night of back to back games. They also had to travel after the game. The Celtics need to run and keep the pace up and fatigue may come into play by the end of the game.
Trap Game - The Raptors are missing their All Star shooting guard, who also is their top scorer. They are playing on the second night of back to back games and had to travel after Tuesday's game. All things point to a trap game for the Celtics. They must keep their focus and not let up, thinking that it will be an easy game because of those things.
Officiating Factor - 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? It all effects the outcome of the game.
Topic: Raptors (30-19) at Celtics (30-18) Game #49 2/1/17 (Read 49166 times)