After 7 video games at house, the Celtics are on the highway to tackle the Warmth in Miami. That is the third of 4 video games between these two groups this season. They gained 108-99 in Boston on December 2 they usually gained 103-85 in Miami on February 10. They are going to meet once more for a 4th, and closing, time on April 2 in Boston.
The Celtics gained the sequence 3-0 final season, profitable 2 video games in Miami and one in Boston they usually gained the primary spherical sequence between them in final yr’s playoffs 4-1. They’re 85-53 all time general towards the Warmth and 41-30 in Miami. The Celtics are enjoying on the primary evening of again to again video games. They’re 8-2 on the primary evening of again to again video games and 4-1 when the primary sport is on the highway. They’ve 2 extra again to again units after this one.
The Warmth made a 5 crew commerce on the deadline simply earlier than their final sport towards the Celtics. They traded the unjoyful Jimmy Butler to Golden State and Josh Richardson to the Jazz they usually introduced again Davion Mitchell, Andrew Wiggins and Kyle Anderson. They need to be used to enjoying with out Butler who was both injured or suspended for many of this season. All 3 of their new gamers made their debut for the Warmth within the February 10 sport towards the Celtics.
The Celtics stay 2nd within the East. They’re 8.5 video games behind 1st place Cleveland, who’ve gained their final 15 video games. They’re 4.5 video games forward of third place New York and 10 video games forward of 4th place Milwaukee. They’re 24-7 on the highway and 7-3 of their final 10 video games. They’re 32-11 towards Japanese Convention groups. After profitable 5 straight, they misplaced to the Thunder of their final sport.
The Warmth are ninth within the East, 26 video games behind first place Cleveland. They’re half a sport behind eighth place Orlando and seven.5 video games behind sixth place Detroit and the ultimate assured playoff spot. They’re 2 video games forward of tenth place Chicago and 6.5 video games forward of eleventh place Toronto. They’re 15-16 at house and 3-7 of their final 10 video games. They’re 18-22 towards Japanese Convention opponents and have misplaced their final 5 video games.
The Celtics simply completed a 5-2 house stand. They misplaced the primary sport to the Cleveland Cavaliers after which beat the Denver Nuggets, Portland Trailblazers, 76ers, Lakers and Jazz within the subsequent 5 video games and misplaced the ultimate sport to the Thunder. After this sport they’ll play at Brooklyn after which a house sport towards Brooklyn earlier than they head out on a 6 sport Western highway journey via Utah, Portland, Sacramento, Phoenix, San Antonio and Memphis. They play 5 of their final 7 video games at house.
The Warmth are enjoying within the closing sport of a 5 sport house stand. They misplaced the primary 4 video games of the house stand to Minnesota, Chicago, Charlotte and the Clippers. After this sport they’ll play at Memphis and New York earlier than one other 5 sport house stand the place they’ll host Detroit, Houston, Charlotte, Golden State, and Atlanta. Subsequent, they play at Philadelphia, Washington, and Boston earlier than ending out with 4 of their final 6 video games at house.
Al Horford was initially listed as questionable with the toe sprain that has bothered him previously however has been upgraded to possible at the moment. Derrick White is questionable with a knee contusion. Jaylen Brown is questionable attributable to a proper knee damage. Jayson Tatum is as soon as once more questionable attributable to proper knee tendinopathy, Kristaps Porzingis is in peril of lacking his eighth consecutive sport attributable to a viral sickness. If any or all the 4 gamers are questionable, I don’t know who would begin of their place so I’m simply leaving them as starters for now.
The Warmth are pretty wholesome at the moment Their beginning lineup within the sport notes are the identical ones that they began within the final sport. Alec Burks will miss his fifth straight sport attributable to a again pressure. Nikola Jovic fractured the second metacarpal on his proper hand that gained’t require surgical procedure, however he has no timeline for a return at the moment. Dru Smith ruptured his left Achilles tendon and can miss the rest of the season.
Possible Celtics Starters
Grid View
PG: Jrue HolidaySG: Derrick WhiteSF: Jaylen BrownPF: Jayson TatumC: Al Horford
Celtics ReservesPayton PritchardLuke KornetNeemias QuetaXavier Tillman, SrJordan WalshBaylor ScheiermanSam Hauser Torrey Craig
2 Method PlayersJD DavisonDrew PetersonMiles Norris
Accidents/OutJayson Tatum (knee) questionableJaylen Brown (knee) questionable Derrick White (knee) questionable Kristaps Porzingis (sickness) questionable Al Horford (toe) possible
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Possible Warmth Starters
Grid View
PG: Davion MitchellSG: Tyler HerroSF: Andrew WigginsPF: Bam AdebayoC: Kel’el Ware
Warmth ReservesKyle AndersonHaywood HighsmithJaime Jaquez, JrKeshad JohnsonPelle LarssonKevin LoveDuncan RobinsonTerry Rozier III
Two Method PlayersJosh ChristopherIsaiah StevensDru Smith
Accidents/OutNikola Jovic (hand) out Alec Burks (again) out Dru Smith (Achilles) out
Head Coach Erik Spoelstra
Key Matchups
Grid View
Derrick White
Photograph by Luke Hales/Getty Photographs
Tyler Herro
Photograph by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Photographs
Derrick White vs Tyler Herro Herro is the Warmth’s main scorer this season. He’s averaging 23.9 factors, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per sport. He’s taking pictures 46.1% from the sector and 36.9% from past the arc. Towards the Celtics in a single sport this season, Herro completed with 19 factors, 5 rebounds and 4 assists whereas taking pictures simply 31.6% from the sector and 20.3% from past the arc. The Celtics must preserve him off of the three level line and defend him each on the perimeter and within the paint. White is questionable so he could or could not play on this one.
Grid View
Al Horford
Photograph by Brian Babineau/NBAE through Getty Photographs
Bam Adebayo
Photograph by Michael Reaves/Getty Photographs
Al Horford vs Bam AdebayoAdebayo is averaging 17.7 factors, 10 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.3 steals per sport. He’s taking pictures 48.8% from the sector and 31.0% from past the arc. Within the first 2 video games towards the Celtics, he averaged 18.5 factors, 10 rebounds, and 4.5 assists whereas taking pictures 34.3% from the sector and 22.2% from past the arc. He’s a risk to attain within the paint and seize rebounds and so the Celtics must field him out and defend him nicely across the basket.
Honorable MentionJaylen Brown vs Andrew Wiggins Wiggins is averaging 17.8 factors, 4.6 rebounds, and a couple of.5 assists per sport. He’s taking pictures 44.0% from the sector and 36.6% from past the arc. In 3 video games towards the Celtics this season (2 with Golden State and 1 with Miami) he averaged 10.3 factors, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per sport whereas taking pictures 27% from the sector and 13.3% from past the arc. Brown is questionable so he could or could not play on this one
Keys to the Sport Protection – Protection will at all times be the most important key to profitable each single sport. The Celtics protection hasn’t been nearly as good this yr because it was final yr. The Celtics are fifth with a defensive ranking of 110.3 whereas they had been first most of final season. The Warmth are twelfth with a defensive ranking of 112.4. The Celtics must defend the perimeter particularly because the Warmth try 38.4 threes a sport and shoot threes simply barely worse than the Celtics at 36.1%. The Celtics must work exhausting on protection and make that their precedence.
Rebound – Together with protection, rebounding is at all times a key to profitable. As Pat Riley as soon as stated “No rebounds, no rings.” The Celtics common 44.9 rebounds per sport (tenth) whereas the Warmth common 43.5 rebounds per sport (twenty first). The Celtics are 29-6 after they out-rebound opponents however simply 18-13 when they’re out-rebounded. It takes effort and hustle to get rebounds and the Celtics want to provide extra effort and hustle than the Warmth to seize rebounds in the event that they need to win this sport.
Transfer the Ball – The Celtics are robust to beat after they preserve the ball transferring and discover the open man however when one participant over dribbles and lapses into hero ball, they falter. The Celtics are 34-2 after they have extra assists than their opponent. Maintain the ball transferring and don’t lapse into iso ball, whether or not within the first quarter or the 4th quarter. Hero ball hardly ever ends nicely.
Don’t Underestimate – The Celtics want to remain centered and be aggressive from begin to end. The Warmth haven’t been enjoying nicely, however they’re nonetheless enjoying exhausting and attempting to make the play-in, in contrast to loads of tanking groups. Additionally, it doesn’t matter what, the Warmth at all times need to beat the Celtics after their heated playoff sequence in current historical past. The Celtics can’t underestimate them as a result of Butler is gone or as a result of they’re below .500 or as a result of they’ve misplaced 7 of their final 10 video games. They are going to nonetheless strive their hardest to beat the Celtics and the Celtics must work even tougher to beat them.
X-Components On the Street – The Celtics are on the highway after being at house for 7 video games. Regardless of the distractions of enjoying on the highway, the Celtics have a greater highway file than house file. The Celtics want to remain centered on enjoying exhausting and as a crew and never be distracted by the hostile crowd or the unfamiliar court docket or the fatigue that comes from journey.
accidents – The Warmth are principally wholesome except they’ve late additions to their damage checklist. The Jazz had been simply fined $100,000 for holding Lauri Markkanen out of a sport for relaxation. The Celtics must be cautious holding gamers out for relaxation. Except there’s proof that the participant is injured, they will’t maintain greater than 1 star participant per sport. So, I don’t see them simply sitting guys out with the League preserving eyes on groups for violating the Participant Participation Coverage. Clearly, the extra gamers who don’t play, the tougher the sport will likely be to win.
Officiating – Officiating is at all times an x-factor in each sport. Each crew officiates in a different way. Some name it tight, others allow them to play. The Celtics want to regulate to how the refs are calling the sport and never permit dangerous calls or no calls to remove their focus from enjoying the sport. The extra aggressive crew will often get the good thing about the calls and so the Celtics must be the extra aggressive crew.
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